


Love Around the World

by Avistella



Series: Big Book of Collections [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, One Shot Collection, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 06:13:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 44,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11457660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Collection of reader insert one-shots with various characters from Hetalia.





	1. America: Will You Marry Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff/Slice-of-Life | Alfred decides to finally ask you the question.**

"Yo [Name]! You've been sleeping all day; it's time to wake up!" Alfred barged in through the door of the room, causing you to groan and turn to the other side.  
  
The American frowned and walked up towards your bed. You felt the bed dip slightly, so you assumed that Alfred had sat down beside you. You pulled the covers over your head and wished for a few more hours of sleep.  
  
Last night was horrible for you. For some strange reason, sleep decided to evade you, so you were lying down on your bed, staring at the ceiling for about three hours since you went to bed. You then stared at the wall for two hours, yet sleep still wouldn't come to you. Just when you've finally managed to fall asleep however, Alfred woke you up an hour later, telling you to get up.  
  
"[Naaame]~!" Alfred whined, shaking your body slightly, "Come on! As the hero, I made you some breakfast; the least you could do is eat it!"  
  
"What? That's new...usually you'd be the one to eat you fatty." Your response came out muffled but your voice held a flippant tone to it.  
  
" _Come! Oonnnnn!_ " Alfred said each word with fervor and insistence.  
  
You sighed in defeat, "Alright, fine...I'll get up. Just give me a few minutes, okay?"  
  
"Alright!" Alfred beamed, standing up from the bed. You heard his footsteps fade towards the door followed by the door shutting. A small smile graced your lips as you closed your eyes once more, hoping that you'll be able to fall asleep again. You were going to, but then Alfred barged in through the door once more.  
  
The American threw the covers off of you, causing you to let out a loud and annoyed sound. Alfred then grabbed hold of your arm and pulled you up from the bed. He let out a hearty laugh.  
  
"Come on now [Name]! We've been living together for a while now! I know very well that you need to be dragged out of bed to get up," Alfred said.  
  
You groggily rolled your eyes—it was the most you could do at the moment. "Yes, well, you'd think I'd be used to your hyena's laugh by now as well as your loud voice."  
  
"Aww, that's mean," Alfred pouted, though he knew that you meant no offense.  
  
The blond managed to drag you down the stairs towards the kitchen without much difficulty which really came as no surprise to you. When the two of you reached the kitchen, your eyes widened upon seeing what Alfred had set up for the both of you. You knew that Alfred ate a lot and what he called a meal, you called an all-you-can-eat buffet, but it still shocked you when you saw the table. It was filled with lots of food. There were two plates of pancakes and waffles stacked up so high that it was dangerously close to toppling over. In addition to that, there were three bowls full of scrambled eggs, and two plates filled with sunny-side up eggs. Beside that was an entire loaf of bread along with some toast and butter.  
  
Your legs moved towards your usual spot at the table, though your mind was still mesmerized by the amount of food—and work—that Alfred had made. "This is..." You trailed off; your mind refused to work right now.  
  
"Amazing? Awesome? Heroic?!" Alfred started listing adjectives with lots of enthusiasm, hoping to finish your sentence.  
  
"Eh, it's okay," you replied, shrugging your shoulders. After you said that, you flashed a smile towards the blond in which he returned.  
  
You dragged the chair along the floor and sat down. Alfred followed suite. You stared at the food in front of you once more; you could've sworn the amount of food had increased when you sat down. You picked up your fork and knife, not knowing where to start.  
  
Your eyes shot a glance towards Alfred and you let out a sound of disbelief. He was already stuffing a large portion of the food in his mouth. A light laugh escaped your lips as he continued to stuff himself.  
  
"Slow down there hero. If you eat like that, your actions like walking and stuff will slow down," you warned him, stabbing a few pancakes with your fork and placing it on your own plate.  
  
Alfred laughed, "It's okay! I can take this; I'm the hero after all!"  
  
"Of course."  
  
The two of you ate in comfortable silence for a while. Well, you were quiet, but Alfred wasn't. He was making loud noises as well as eating messily. You paid no mind whatsoever; you were absolutely used to this.  
  
"Hey [Name], so I got a question," Alfred suddenly asked, catching you a bit off guard.  
  
"Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement~?" you sang the line from Ke$ha's song _Your Love Is My Drug_. You weren't really a huge fan of the artist or the song, but you just couldn't resist making the joke, albeit being a bit lame.  
  
Alfred laughed, "That was pretty good."  
  
"I try," you replied with a toothy grin. "So? What was it that you wanted to say?"  
  
"I was wondering what you'd think of being committed?" Alfred asked you.  
  
You raised a questioning eyebrow, "Um...do you mean like how you're committed to your hamburgers and everything?"  
  
"Uh...sort of? I don't really know how to explain it," Alfred answered, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I mean like, what if we made a promise?"  
  
"A pinky promise?" you were playing with the American now and making a few snarky comments here and there. "Come on now Alfred, don't you think that's being childish?"  
  
The blond man shook his head, "I know that! ...But the promise does sort of involve a specific finger and a specific hand..."  
  
"The middle finger?" you laughed.  
  
Alfred was slowly starting to lose his patience with asking the question he's been meaning to ask for a while now. "I'm serious [Name]!"  
  
Hearing the seriousness in Alfred's voice caused you to stop your taunting for a bit and look at him with curiosity. Alfred was barely serious, and when he was, he was absolutely charming in your eyes. "...What is it?"  
  
"Wh-What I was trying to ask was..." Alfred paused and took a deep breath. _"Here goes nothing..."_ he thought.  
  
The American fished through his pockets while you remained sitting there, looking at him with a perplexed expression. After finding the item he was looking for, Alfred slowly took out a small box. He opened it and asked, "Will you marry me?"  
  
The room became painstakingly quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Your mouth and eyes opened and widened slightly from shock and disbelief. Alfred stayed frozen in his spot, anticipating your answer.  
  
"Yes, yes of course!" you replied with joy.  
  
Alfred let out his breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, and a wide grin spread across his face. In his mind, he was doing somersaults, and you returned the same stupid grin as the blond before placing a sweet kiss on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find more of my works on [my Tumblr](http://avistella.tumblr.com/)


	2. China: Capturing Your Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | Yao asks you to be his model.**

You were innocently walking along the school hallways to your locker to head back home since the day was finished when you had heard someone call your name. You stopped in your tracks and turned around to face the owner of the familiar voice, your lips curving slightly upwards at the sight of your best friend and crush, Wang Yao.  
  
"What's up?" you asked the young man, tilting your head curiously to the side.  
  
"Listen, I have this art assignment, and I wanted to get some practice in before I work on the actual thing," Yao explained.  
  
"Okay," you answered. "And how can I help?"  
  
Yao grinned as he replied, "I need you to be my model."  
  
You were quiet for a moment, too stunned to respond right away, "Um...what?"  
  
"I want you to be my model," the Chinese man repeated.  
  
You shook your head in disbelief as you resumed your way towards your locker, the young man following close behind you. "Why me?" you asked as you expertly swerved your way around the sea of students.  
  
"Because you're cute," Yao answered with no hesitation.  
  
Heat rose to your cheeks, and you did your best to hide this from the male. "What are you talking about? I'm not cute!"  
  
"I think you are," Yao insisted. "You're the cutest person I've ever met."  
  
"Nn..." you hesitated on your answer. You weren't exactly one with the highest of esteems, so modelling for art, something you greatly admired, was something that seemed rather impossible for you to do.  
  
"It's an innocent kind of model if that's what you're worried about," Yao continued with his attempt to persuade you, "It's not like it'll be a nude model or anything like that!"  
  
"That's not what I'm worried about! ...Okay, maybe a little, but that's not the main reason!" you gave an exasperated sigh, finally arriving at your locker as your hands started to work on opening the lock. As soon as it was open and you busied yourself with packing your bag and organizing your school supplies. You continued, "I just really don't think I'm the right kind of person you should be asking for this. I mean, there are lots of other people you can ask who would be willing."  
  
"It has to be you," Yao insisted, his eyes being completely serious that you found yourself blushing again. "...I'll treat you to some Nutella later if you do this for me."  
  
Heaving a sigh of defeat, you said, "Fine. ...And not just for the Nutella."  
  
Yao offered you a kind and amused smile at your added comment before replying, "Thank you so much!"  
  
"Yes, yes," you waved your hand in a dismissing manner, giving your full attention back to your belongings. As soon as you were done packing up, you slung your backpack over your shoulder and closed your locker.  
  
"I'll text you later more information about what I need from you for the modelling," Yao said as he turned on his heel, waving his farewell to you.  
  
You waved back at him with a smile on your face, watching his retreating figure. As soon as he was gone from your sight, your shoulders slumped as the weight around it suddenly felt much heavier than before.

* * *

As promised, Yao had texted you more information about the modelling. The location was to be at his backyard tomorrow in the afternoon. You were to just come dressed in a nice shirt and pants since the young man knew you didn't like wearing dresses and skirts, and he said it was perfectly fine if you didn't put make up or do anything special with your hair.  
  
And so now, you were standing just outside Yao's house in your nicest shirt and pants. You combed your hair to be very neat, and you at least washed your face before coming over. Even though Yao said it was perfectly fine if you didn't dress up or do anything special, since you were going to be a model for him, you wanted to look at the very least presentable.  
  
You knocked against the door rather shakily. Never before had you felt this nervous. You figured it had something to do with your feelings for the young man, but you never found the courage to actually tell him. Your fingers nervously played with the hem of your shirt as you waited for the door to open. Soon enough, it did, and you were greeted by Yao's smiling face.  
  
"Perfect timing," Yao greeted you and opened the door wider, gesturing for you to come inside.  
  
You shyly took a step inside as the young man closed the door behind you. You followed him as he led you out to his backyard where everything had already been set up.  
  
"Okay, so I want you to stand right here..." Yao gently grabbed hold of your hand and directed you towards where he wanted you to stand. It was beside a table with neatly arranged flowers, and in the back stood a healthy tree. The young man then grabbed hold of a bouquet of peonies and gave it to you to hold with both hands laced neatly together. Yao positioned your body so that you were standing at an angle towards where he would be painting.   
  
The Chinese man took a few steps back to see how you looked, and then he went to correct a few things. He first rearranged the flowers that were on the table before making his way to changing your posture. He took hold of your hands and made you raise them just a slight bit higher. Yao then placed a hand on your lower back, prompting you to stand up a bit straighter, and he gently tilted your head upwards. By this point, you were giving it your all to hide the blush that was creeping its way onto your face. The young man took a few steps back again and nodded, completely satisfied.  
  
"Perfect," Yao said as he walked towards his canvas.  
  
Without another word, the young man got to his work. You stood there, rather awkwardly and shyly as the young man was completely concentrated on his art piece. You were absolutely enthralled with his expression as he concentrated with each stroke. Every now and then, Yao would bring his head up to look at you and then back to his piece of work, and you were doing your absolute best to maintain your position.  
  
"Mm, try smiling a bit more naturally," Yao told you.  
  
"I can't," you replied, sounding a bit annoyed from staying in the same position for so long. "It's my first time doing this; I feel awkward and everything."  
  
Yao hummed in understanding as he put his brush down, crossing his arms over his chest, deep in thought. "Very well then. Let's try taking a break."  
  
"Thank you," you smiled graciously towards the young man, returning to your usual relaxed posture as you set the bouquet of peonies down on the table.  
  
Yao walked up to you and said, "Do you want that Nutella now or later?"  
  
"Now, I guess," you answered.  
  
Giving one final nod, the young man turned on his heel to go back inside the house as you followed behind him. You sat down and waited patiently for Yao to bring the snacks out. When he did, you accepted it gratefully and flashed him another smile while giving another word of thanks.  
  
"It's the least that I can do for you," Yao replied, "Since you're being my model and everything."  
  
As the two of you nibbled on your snacks in comfortable silence, you felt something soft and furry rub against your leg. You looked down curiously, and you gasped at the amazingly cute corgi that seemed to have taken a liking to you.  
  
"Oh my, who's this adorable little fellow?" you cooed, placing your snack down on the table as you reached towards the dog.  
  
You picked him up and brought him closer to you to admire its adorable face, and he licked you, tickling your cheeks causing a small and bright laugh to escape your lips. Little did you know, as you were busy admiring the little dog, Yao was busy admiring _you_.  
  
"His name's Bao," the young man answered. "It means 'treasure' or 'precious' in Chinese. I also chose the name so that it would rhyme with my own."  
  
"Yao and Bao," you mused. "That's adorable!"  
  
"Thank you," Yao chuckled.  
  
You cradled the dog in your arms, continuing to admire it while you commented, "I never knew you had a dog."  
  
"I just got him a few days ago," Yao explained, "but since we're not in any classes together and I'm constantly getting pulled off with Alfred and the others during lunch, I never got the chance to tell you. I was actually going to invite you over one day to play with him."  
  
"Hm, I see..."  
  
"Well, that's that. You ready to start being a model again?" Yao asked, standing up from his seat and clearing away his snack.  
  
You looked up at him and nodded, letting Bao back down on the ground. "Yeah," you answered, quickly finishing up your snack and clearing it along with the young man.  
  
Both you and Yao went back to his backyard and with his help, you got back into the same position as before. The Chinese man went back to his canvas and looked at you, smiling.  
  
"There," he said, making you a bit confused before he continued. "That's the kind of smile I want you to wear."  
  
You let out a short laugh, "It's all thanks to Nutella and dogs."  
  
"Oh, so I'm not a good enough reason to make you smile like that?" Yao teased.  
  
"O-Of course not!" you found yourself becoming flustered, "You're always a reason for me to smile!"  
  
Yao smiled softly, "I'm glad."  
  
Just like that, the young man continued on his work as both you and he exchanged small pleasantries. At some point, Bao had come outside to observe, and you found the dog to be a bit distracting at times, but he helped keep that natural and cute smile on your face. Eventually, Yao set his brush down and let out a relieved sigh, stretching his arms high over his head.  
  
"Okay, I'm done," Yao said, "You don't need to maintain that position anymore."  
  
"May I see it?" you asked, walking towards the canvas.  
  
A light blush dusted the young man's cheeks as he nodded, moving aside so that he could give you space to look at his piece. Knowing Yao, you expected a very beautiful piece of art, but what you saw completely caught you by surprise. You placed your hands over your mouth which was open and couldn’t seem to close from shock.  
  
In front of you, painted in expertly done strokes, was a beautiful painting of you standing in the same position you were. Everything was done almost exactly the same, except Yao had added something different to the scenery. He added himself, standing behind you, his hands carefully and gently enclosed yours that held the peonies. The both of you held very serene smiles, and you just couldn't believe this masterpiece could actually exist.  
  
"It's so beautiful," you breathed out.  
  
"Thank you," Yao answered. "I'm glad you liked it. I tried really hard to depict your beauty and cuteness."  
  
You blushed and nodded, uncertain of how to reply to such a nice compliment from the man that you loved. The young man brought his attention back to the canvas, and admired his work. He then spoke, "Do you know what the peony symbolizes in China?"  
  
You shook your head, "No, I don't."  
  
"The Chinese name for peony means 'beautiful', and in the culture, it represents riches, prosperity, and honour," Yao explained. "I thought it suited you well."  
  
"I-I see," you replied lamely. Again, you were uncertain on how to respond.  
  
Yao continued, "I also know that in the language of flowers, it represents good fortune and a happy marriage."  
  
The young man turned to look at you, and you looked back at him, both of you holding light blushes on your face. The young man was quiet for a moment, but he spoke again, "I-I really like you, but I wanted to prove it... So I decided to capture your beauty and to give you a gift to show that you are precious to me."  
  
"Y-You're giving this to me?" you asked, completely shocked. You had expected the young man to keep such a masterpiece.  
  
Yao nodded, "Yes. This is probably my best work, and I want you to have it. That is, _if_ you want it... I mean, I did just add myself there last minute, so—"  
  
"I accept," you answered. "To both the gift and your feelings. I really like you too, Yao."  
  
The young man's eyes widened, surprised that you had accepted him. His eyes became soft, and he grabbed your hand, placing a soft kiss on your knuckles.  
  
"I'm glad," Yao confessed. "To be honest, I was a bit afraid, but... I'm glad." He then turned his attention back towards his painting, "And I'm glad that I was able to capture and depict your beauty and cuteness like this."


	3. HetaOni!England: I'll Be Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You make a vow to Arthur.**

"It was right next to you! Why didn't you pick them up for me?" America asked England. He walked closer towards the blond and bent down to pick up his glasses that had fallen during a previous encounter with the thing.  
  
"What? Oh...yeah...is that so?" England asked, sounding slightly dazed.  
  
"D-Don't tell me you..." America trailed off, sounding concerned as he started thinking of the worse.  
  
Once you heard this tone of voice that England was using as well as the concern in America's voice, you decided to stay behind while Japan and Germany went to the next room to search for Italy who had separated from everyone else. You figured that they would manage on their own since they're both strong and had each other. Your feet slowly and quietly made their way towards where America and England were standing. You had a very bad feeling about this.  
  
"Wh-What?! Wait a moment, we have to go after Italy first—" England had tried to change the subject, but America interrupted him. There was no way England was going to get away from this.  
  
"England, how many fingers...am I holding up?" you heard America ask as he raised two fingers. "You can answer, can't you? If you...can see."  
  
You held your breath as the room became painstakingly silent. You wished and hoped that America's and your suspicions were wrong. It couldn't be...  
  
England hesitated with his answer, "W-Well..."  
  
You knew right then and there that your suspicions were indeed correct, but you still wanted him to say so himself. You needed to hear it come from his lips.  
  
"I'm sorry, America...I can...no longer see..."  
  
Whatever breath you had left inside of you was knocked out, and you felt your heart shatter to a million pieces. Your knees felt extremely weak, but you stayed strong and shakily reached out your hand, grabbing England's.  
  
"Oh, England..." you breathed out as your eyes became glazed.  
  
You saw and felt England tense slightly. He hadn't realized that you were there. After all, since the moment you arrived at the annexe with the others, you hadn't said a single word at all, so it wasn't like you made your presence known to the now blind blond.  
  
"[Name]..." England said your name with a hurt and apologetic tone.  
  
America watched as you swallowed a lump in your throat and forced a smile. Even if England couldn't see it, he still wouldn't want you to be frowning, otherwise it would upset him even more than what he was already feeling. You took a deep breath and tried to calm your shaking. "Let's go back to the others and talk things through."  
  
Since England had used up a lot of magic powers to the point of becoming blind, your group decided that walking back to the safe room was the only approach. Even though England was able to defeat the monster in the annexe, the possibility of another one appearing was highly probable.  
  
"That thing might pop out of nowhere again, so I think it would be best if we formed a line," Japan suggested. "I'll take the front while America will take the rear. Germany, who's carrying Italy, and [Name], who's guiding England, will stay between us."  
  
"Understood."  
  
You held on to England's hand as the both of you trailed behind Japan and Germany while America watched your back. You spared a glance towards the blond beside you. He held his head down and looked absolutely vulnerable. England muttered out an apology that no one but you heard.  
  
Fortunately, your group was able to make it back to the safe room in the second room without any trouble. The other nations who were inside looked up from what they were doing. Their expressions of relief almost immediately changed to that of worry upon seeing your group's own expressions.  
  
"What happened?" Canada asked as Germany walked over to the beds and lay Italy down.  
  
The other nations crowded around the bed. Japan frowned as he explained the situation to them, "Italy's heart stopped beating, and England used up a lot of his magic and is now blind." You and Germany were grateful for Japan; neither of the two of you were really in the best state as of right now considering how close Italy was to Germany and how close England was— _is_ to you.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" China asked, "Spain and Romano are still in the previous time loop."  
  
His answer was met with silence as no one knew what to do from there. The atmosphere felt completely heavy and it was almost too difficult to bear. There were too many problems; Italy's heart, England's blindness, and Romano and Spain stuck in the previous time loop.  
  
They had all promised that they would escape together, but with Italy, as well as Romano and Spain...it seemed almost impossible to keep that promise now.  
  
As you were trying to have everything sink in, you felt England pull his hand out of yours and slowly started making his way towards the table, leaving the group. You watched as he felt around for a chair to sit on. He eventually managed to find it without much trouble, and he sat down, propping his elbows on the table in front of him.  
  
England heaved a sigh, burying his face in his hands. He had been reckless. It was because of his recklessness that everything was like this now. The blond felt absolutely stupid for letting his emotions get the best of him, thus clouding his judgement. He wished that he could turn time back again and start all over, but he drained most of his magic already, and it'd be too selfish of an act.  
  
You separated from the group and made your way towards England. He heard the chair you had pulled up beside him scrape the floor, causing him to look up in your direction, but he had no way of knowing that it was you until you decided to speak.  
  
"No one blames you, you know," you said as you placed your hand atop England's. England couldn't see anything at all, and you wanted to reassure the blond that even if he couldn't see, you were still there. You continued, "Everything that happened...that wasn't your fault. So, please stop beating yourself up over it."  
  
Even though you said that, England still couldn't help but think that all of the problems that everyone faced now were all his doing. He shook his head, "No...it's all my fault. I'm so—"  
  
"I don't want to hear it!" you yelled, cutting the blond short of his apology.  
  
England jumped slightly; he was taken by surprise by your sudden outburst. The tears that you were holding back finally started falling down your cheeks, and that was the only time that you were grateful England couldn't see. You didn't want him to see how weak you were right now.  
  
"I don't want to hear it," you repeated in a hushed voice, but as you continued talking, your voice slowly started getting louder once again. "Every time I hear those words...I feel so helpless. I wasn't there for you, and now you can't see. I couldn't do anything...I _can't_ do anything, but I don't want to be reminded of that every time you say 'I'm sorry'! So what if you're sorry?! What can I do?! _I can't do anything!!_ "  
  
You let go of England's hand and abruptly got up, causing the chair you were sitting on to fall on the ground and make a clattering sound. The other nations heard the commotion and looked at you with sympathetic eyes, but they made no move to come over and smooth things over between the two of you. You had been holding everything in and standing strong for everyone; it was about time you let it out.  
  
Your feet led you away from the blind man and started heading towards the washroom. You needed to wash your face as well as calm down, and for that, you needed to be alone.  
  
England remained in his seat, completely stunned by what had just happened. He then felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder. "You really know how to break a poor, fair maiden's heart."  
  
"What the bloody hell do you want, you bearded bastard?" England spat out. He honestly didn't want to deal with France right now.  
  
A sad smile made its way to France's lips as he picked up the fallen chair and sat down. There was nothing that anyone could do, so the group that surrounded Italy's bed had dispersed and went to do their own things, as well as giving Germany some time alone with the comatose man. France had decided to talk to England and pick up on where you had left off.  
  
"I agree with what [Name] said," France started. "None of this is your fault, and you don't need to apologize. Besides, rather than apologizing to [Name], I think it would be best if you thanked her."  
  
"For what?" England asked sounding completely irritated, "You heard what she said; she feels absolutely useless. What could I possibly thank her for?"  
  
Instead of answering his question, France decided to ask his own question, "You don't think she's useless though, don't you?"  
  
"Well, no, of course not," England answered, "She's been standing strong this entire time. Even when everyone's feeling exhausted and upset, she tries her hardest to bring a smile to everyone's faces and to renew their hope. She's one of the reasons why no one has given up yet."  
  
This answer seemed to satisfy France as proven from the smile on his face, "That's right. So, you should thank her instead of apologize, non?"  
  
"I-I guess..."  
  
England heard France get up from his seat and start making his way towards the kitchen to cook something to try and help with the dampening atmosphere in the room, but not before patting the blond on the head, leaving him alone with his thoughts.  
  
Becoming blind was honestly one of the last things that England had suspected would have happened to him. It felt so different and scary. Everything was dark as though he was staring at an endless abyss. He felt so weak and vulnerable; it would be easy for someone to sneak up on him now, but that wasn't what was upsetting him the most. The thing that upset him the most was that...  
  
He couldn't see you.  
  
Your gentle and cheerful eyes...your warm and loving smile...England could no longer see them. He could no longer admire them. Sure, he could still hear your wonderful laugh and hold your dainty hands, but it still wasn't the same.  
  
There was also the risk of something happening to you. What if that thing appeared from behind you and England couldn't see it and protect you? What if you had gotten injured but acted as though nothing happened; England would be completely oblivious to it. What if you died and England wouldn't know?  
  
The blond felt so helpless; he wouldn't be able to protect you anymore...  
  
You had finally calmed down, and you were able to wipe away all the tears from your face. You opened the door and walked out of the washroom, your eyes immediately looking for England. He was staying in the exact same spot that you had left him; it wasn't like he could've freely moved about without bumping into someone or something. You walked over to him again and decided to start again.  
  
"I'm sorry for earlier," you apologized for your previous outburst.  
  
England shook his head and looked in your general direction, "No, it's alright. You were right. I shouldn't be apologizing...I should be thanking you. For being here for me."  
  
"I'll _always_ be here for you," you said while wearing a warm smile on your face.  
  
"Thank you," England smiled back at you. He then stretched out his hand, trying to look for yours. You grabbed hold of it and moved closer to him. "I'll always be here for you too, [Name]."  
  
A light laugh escaped your lips as you thanked the blond, "Thanks England."  
  
"I'm blind now, but I'll always try my best to protect you," England continued. "I can't see anything but darkness now, but if you're here...then I could see a bit of light, which is why I'll be able to find you and help you in times of trouble."  
  
Your cheeks blushed from hearing such words. "I'll see everything for you, England. I'll be your eyes."  
  
"...[Name]?" England spoke your name with slight hesitation.  
  
"Yes? What is it?" you asked.  
  
England took a deep breath. "After becoming blind...I realized just how close I was to losing my chance on saying this, but I...I...love you."  
  
You felt England's grip on your hand tighten slightly, and you squeezed back. Your face was almost all red by now, and you could see a blush dusting England's cheeks as well.  
  
"You're blushing," you giggled.  
  
"Sh-Shut up, I know..." England replied.  
  
"Well, I did say that I'll be your eyes, so I'm just telling you what I see," you said. "You're not the only one blushing though..."  
  
You leaned in close to England. He could feel you being so close to him, and he could also feel your warmth. Your lips were just mere centimetres away from his, and you closed your eyes.  
  
"I love you too," you confessed as you leaned in and closed the gap between the both of you.


	4. England: Spellbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | Arthur is convinced you’ve casted a spell on him when really, he’s just in love.**

Arthur scrunched his eyebrows together as he watched Alfred sling his arm around your shoulder in a friendly manner and pulled you closer to him. It wasn't like Alfred was doing anything inappropriate with you, and you didn't mind having his arms around you; Alfred was your friend after all. Then, why did Arthur get so upset when he saw how close Alfred was to you?  
  
"Yo [Name]! What's up?" Alfred asked in his usual loud voice, taking a bite from his hamburger that he held in his other hand.  
  
"The sky," you lamely joked as a smile graced your lips. You thought that the reply was super lame, but Alfred laughed nevertheless.  
  
"You busy today?" Alfred asked you curiously. "We could hang out!"  
  
Arthur crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. You promised Arthur that you would spend some time with him that day, and you intended to keep it. Of course, the English man knew that you would keep your promise—you always did, but even so, he still couldn't help but get upset with Alfred.  
  
You took a step away from Alfred and gave an apologetic laugh, "Sorry Alfred, but I promised Arthur that I would watch _Doctor Who_ with him today."  
  
"Ah, I totally understand," Alfred replied. "Next time then?"  
  
You nodded, waving goodbye to him as you turned on your heel and started heading over to where the blond man waited for you. Arthur smiled as you approached him.  
  
"Hey," you greeted him.  
  
He returned the greeting and the two of you exchanged idle conversation before deciding to head over to Arthur's house to watch the well-known sci-fi show that is _'Doctor Who'_.  
  
"Honestly Arthur, I must thank you for getting me hooked on _Doctor Who_. It's such an amazing show!" you chirped, walking beside the man.  
  
Arthur laughed, "I figured you would like it."  
  
"I _love_ it!" you exclaimed.  
  
Arthur looked over at you and couldn't help but stare lovingly at your smiling face. Your (e/c) eyes shone brilliantly as you continued to talk about your most favourite companion in the show, and you would occasionally let out a wonderful laugh that sounded like music to the Brit man. The more Arthur looked at you and listened to your laughter, the redder Arthur's face got.  
  
What was happening to him? He always got self-conscious whenever you were around; he would always stop and stare at you; he had this urge to protect you from anything that proved to be a threat to you... His words would almost always get caught in his throat whenever he talked to you; his face reddened significantly whenever you smiled at him; his dreams were always full of you.  
  
Arthur loved you, but he didn't know that. ...Or maybe he denied it. He never felt this way before; it was a completely foreign emotion.  
  
You enjoyed performing magic. Of course, they were your usual magic tricks of tricking the eye, using a sleight of hand and the like. It wasn't like Arthur's real magic, but he figured you used some sort of spell on him. You had him completely... _spellbound_.   
  
The two of you eventually arrived at your destination, and he opened the door, gesturing with his arm for you to enter first. You thanked him; he was such a gentleman. Arthur followed closely behind you, closing the door behind him.  
  
You visited Arthur's house many times now, and it already felt like a second home to you. Your feet walked over to his living room and plopped down on the sofa in front of the television. Arthur inserted the DVD of the show and sat down beside you, feeling a bit awkward.  
  
"Oh, I love this episode," you breathed out, already completely captivated as the Doctor appeared in his blue TARDIS.  
  
The two of you continued to watch until it reached the last episode on the current DVD. You waited patiently for Arthur to take out the DVD and insert the next one; he always did this. It was one of his gentleman-like actions, but when he made no move at all, you couldn't help but look over at him curiously. He seemed deep in thought.  
  
"Arthur?" you asked with slight worry in your voice. You waved your hand in front of Arthur's face, trying to get the Brit's attention.  
  
"H-Huh? Oh, it's done..." Arthur said lamely, snapping himself back to reality. "Sorry...Here. I'll put the next one in."  
  
Arthur made his way to get up, but you gently placed your hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Arthur, wait."  
  
"What is it, love?" he asked you; his smile looked a bit...nervous?  
  
"Is something wrong?" you asked him, completely concerned for your friend. "You know you could tell me, right?"  
  
"I-It's nothing," Arthur stuttered. "It's just that..."  
  
"That...?" you urged the blond man to continue with his sentence.  
  
Arthur sighed, figuring that maybe it was about time he confronted you about how he felt. He took a deep breath and asked, "...What did you do to me?"  
  
"...I'm not sure I understand what you mean," you replied, scrunching your eyebrows together after a moment of silence, thinking about what the Brit could possibly be talking about but coming up empty.  
  
"You must have put some spell on me," Arthur continued. "I can't stop thinking about you. I get this horrible feeling in my stomach whenever I see you hang out with some other guy. I can't stay mad at you. I feel... _euphoric_ every time you smile at me, laugh with me, and just being with you lifts up my mood. You have me completely spellbound; can't you stop the spell or something like that?"  
  
Arthur looked at you with serious eyes, and you couldn't help but stare at them, completely entranced until you registered what Arthur said to your mind. It took a while for what Arthur said to sink in, and once it did, a soft giggle escaped your lips. At first it was just a quiet giggle, but then it turned to a full blown out laughing fit with you clutching onto your stomach.  
  
"Wh-What are you laughing about?!" Arthur inquired, a blush making its way to the English man's cheeks. "Take this bloody spell you cast on me off!"  
  
Your laughter slowly died down, and then you looked at him in a way that made the blond man blush even more. "Well, I guess you could say that being in love is magic as well. It _is_ a magical feeling after all. Arthur, you asked me to get rid of the spell, but to be honest...I don't want to."  
  
"Why?" Arthur asked you quietly. He seemed embarrassed by the fact that he thought you had put a spell on him when in reality; he was just in love with you. It was also pretty embarrassing that you had to find out like that.  
  
"Because," you answered him honestly, " _I love you_."  
  
The room became quiet after your confession; Arthur was shocked silent and you had looked down to hide your blushing face. What seemed to be hours passed by before you spoke again.  
  
"But if you really want, I could try taking the spell off of you...I don't know _how_ exactly, but I could try..."  
  
"No," Arthur cut in. "It's alright. I guess I don't mind being spellbound. It's...a nice feeling."  
  
You slowly raised your head to look at the blond man. He was staring at you with a look in his eyes that made the butterflies in your stomach flutter. He took your hand in his and rested his forehead upon yours, heat rising to his cheeks once more.  
  
"I love you."


	5. England: Roger Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort | You’re insecure about yourself and Arthur tries to convince you otherwise.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songfic using [Roger Rabbit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8m5sxlh370) by Sleeping with Sirens

_Is there a right way for how this goes?_   
_You've got your friends_   
_And you've got your foes_   
_They want a piece of something hot_   
_Forget your name like they forgot_   
_Oh, ain't that something?_

It was supposed to be a fairly simple assignment to help the new teacher get to know each one of you better since your previous teacher was currently on maternity leave. It wasn't anything difficult really, just an introduction of yourself. Yet for some reason, you were having difficulty with one particular section of the assignment.  
  
_"List the things you both like and dislike about yourself"_  
  
Nothing too hard, right? You thought in your mind as to what to write down but came up with a blank. Deciding to tackle that section later, your eyes continued to scan through the rest of the given assignment as your hands jotted down rough notes as to what you could write for each of them later on.  
  
You inwardly groaned as you stared at the computer screen in front of you, the blinking text cursor mocking you as you couldn't think of anything to write. You were able to get through most of the assignment without too much difficulty, but that one question that had asked you to list the things you both like and dislike about yourself had you completely stumped and at a loss for words.  
  
It was easy enough to list a couple—more like a lot, but you had generously narrowed them down—of things that you disliked about yourself, but your mind was a complete blank as you tried again and again to think of, at the very least, one thing you liked about yourself, but to no avail. You quickly glanced towards the time and sighed. It was awfully late, you realized, and you had spent a lot of time on this assignment already. Deciding to sleep on it, you saved your work and closed the document.

_Some wanna see you crash and burn_   
_And criticize your every word_   
_I'm trying to keep from going insane_   
_Ain't that the way of this whole damn thing_   
_Oh, trying to be something more_

The next day, during lunch, you decided to consult with your friends about what they think that you should write down. You had a pen and paper on hand and was ready to start writing down the things that they said; however, as you continued to listen to their suggestions and whatnot, you still felt a bit of doubt creep into your mind. Nevertheless, you wrote everything down.  
  
_"I just want to get that paper done. I can't think of anything else, so I might as well just put these down and lie about what I like about myself, I guess_ ," you thought glumly as you thanked your friends for the help that they gave you.  
  
You let out a troubled sigh as you got up from your seat, excusing yourself to use the washroom. Your shoulders slumped as you let the assignment weigh in on your mind. This really was causing you more stress than needed. Upon entering the washroom, you inwardly flinched when you accidentally caught sight of your reflection on the mirror, and you groaned. You were never one to like reflections of yourself, so you often made an effort to avoid looking at things like mirrors and whatnot.

_Nobody's gonna love you if_  
_You can't display a way to capture this_  
 _Nobody's gonna hold your hand_  
 _And guide you through_  
 _No it's up for you to understand_  
 _Nobody's gonna feel your pain_  
 _When all is done_  
 _And it's time for you to walk away_  
 _So when you have today_  
 _You should say all that you have to say_  
 _Say all that you have to say_

It wasn't like you wanted to be like this. Quite the contrary, you wanted to be someone satisfied with themselves, but that seemed impossible. You weren't sure as to when you started feeling like this. It felt like it just kind of crept in through the small cracks of when you were trying to determine what kind of person you are and wanted to be. Although you hated yourself for it, you often found yourself comparing your person to those in the media and its warped sense of beauty.  
  
Inwardly sighing, you wished you could voice these thoughts and insecurities to someone, but you didn't want to trouble anyone. Even more than that, you felt like these kinds of thoughts just wasn't "worth" someone's time. That _you_ weren't worth someone's time. Eventually, you realized that it was almost time for your next class, so you went to ready your belongings, all the while struggling to push these troublesome thoughts to the back of your mind.

_Is there a right way for being strong?_  
_Feels like I'm doing things all wrong_  
 _Still I'm here just holding on_  
 _Confess my heart and forgive my wrongs._  
 _Oh, just trying to show you something more_

The next class you had was Sociology, a subject of which you were genuinely interested in learning. You were getting your belongings ready for the next class when somebody tapped your shoulder. Pausing in your movements, you peered over your shoulder to see who it was and smiled when you were greeted by your friend, Arthur Kirkland.  
  
He was in the same class as you for Sociology and was seated next to you. The first few days of that class passed by normally enough, but neither you nor Arthur were one to engage in small talk or the like, so you never really saw him as a friend until much later in the class when the two of you were paired up for an assignment. It was only then that the both of you started to talk more. Initially, it was only about work, but there were a few short personal conversations which you found you enjoyed. When you found out that Arthur held a common interest with you for a certain show, you were absolutely brimming with joy upon having a new best friend.  
  
Since then, the two of you often spent your free time together. He would always be the first to greet you in the morning when you came to school, and he would always be the last to bid you farewell in the afternoon when you left to go home. Sometimes, he would stay with you at your locker and then walk you to your classes like a true gentleman, even if it did mean he would be late for his own class. You don't know when, but at some point, you had developed a crush—or maybe it really was love—for him.  
  
_"But he'll never return those feelings for someone like me."_  
  
"Hey," you offered a smile as you pushed the thought away before resuming to fix your belongings.  
  
Arthur nodded in response and returned your greeting. He walked over to your side and leaned on the wall, eyes carefully watching you. You had felt him staring, and you turned your head to look at him, thinking that maybe he had something to say. However, the moment you made any movement to look at the young man, he had immediately averted his gaze and feigned innocence. You kept your eyes on him for a moment before he awkwardly cleared his throat.  
  
"Hurry up, or we'll be late for class," he urged you.  
  
"Oh, right," you replied lamely, rushing to finish with your bag before mumbling out an apology.  
  
Arthur spared you a quick glance before pushing himself off the wall and scratching the back of his head, "No, I mean... You don't have to apologize."  
  
"Sorry," you repeated before you could stop the word from leaving your mouth.  
  
The young man sighed, "You did it again."  
  
"So—" you started but stopped midway when you saw Arthur send you a slight exasperated look.  
  
Uncertain as to what to say next, an awkward silence lingered in the air. Letting out a small breath, Arthur patted you on the shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, it's okay. Come on. Let's get to class already."  
  
You nodded, unable to get any words out of your mouth as the young man started heading to class, all the while keeping his hand on your shoulder.  
  
Today's lesson for Sociology was rather interesting. It was about relationships. The class was currently on the topic of romantic relationships once you all finished discussing familial relationships. As the teacher continued with the lesson, you couldn't help but glance over towards the male beside you, only to quickly look away when you had accidentally made eye contact with him. You heard him shift in his seat, and you debated as to whether or not you should steal another glance. In the end, it was just too awkward to bear, so you spent the remainder of the class looking anywhere but at him.  
  
_"I can't wait to get home,"_ you thought to yourself when your eyes passed over the clock that hung on the wall.

_Nobody's gonna love you if_  
_You can't display a way to capture this_  
 _Nobody's gonna hold your hand_  
 _And guide you through_  
 _It's up for you to understand_  
 _Nobody's gonna feel your pain_  
 _When all is done_  
 _And it's time for you to walk away_  
 _When you have today_  
 _You should say all that you have to say_

Once you were back in the comfort of your home, you went up to your room and flopped yourself on your bed, burying your face in the pillows. You allowed yourself to ease down and relieve the tension in your muscles after a long and tiring day at school. Your eyes slowly closed themselves, and you were about to fall asleep when your ears picked up on the sound of someone knocking on your door. Sitting up, you inwardly groaned as you reluctantly went to answer the door seeing as the rest of your family was currently out. Irritated, you looked through the peep hole and was greeted with a familiar blond male. You stared in surprise and confusion as you opened the door.  
  
"Hey," Arthur raised his hand in greeting.  
  
"Uh, hey..." you replied awkwardly, uncertainty lacing your voice.  
  
"May I come in?" he asked, and you nodded, opening the door even more and stepping to the side, gesturing for him to come inside. "Thanks."  
  
"Why are you here?" you asked rather bluntly.  
  
"You looked troubled, and I wanted to check up on you," Arthur answered much more honestly than he usually was.  
  
You stared at him dumbfounded for a moment, "Oh...thanks, I guess?"  
  
The conversation then came to a halt, and an awkward silence filled the air. Your eyes wandered the room before bringing themselves to rest on the male's figure again when he cleared his throat. He lightly shrugged his shoulders and gave a wry smile, "So I take it you don't want to talk about it?"  
  
"I..." you started but trailed off, not knowing how or where to start.  
  
Arthur shook his head and flashed you a friendly and understanding smile, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but just know I'm here for you, okay?"  
  
This time, it was your turn to shake your head. Gathering up all your courage, you said, "No, I'll tell you. I want to tell you."

_Don't point the blame when you can't find nothing_  
_Look to yourself and you might find something_  
 _It's time that we sorted out_  
 _All of the things we complain about_

You had invited Arthur to your room as that was the place you were most comfortable in and sat down on the bed. The young man followed to sit beside you, and he gave you his undivided attention.  
  
"I'm...troubled," you tried to explain.  
  
"With what?" Arthur asked as he gently placed his hand on your shoulder, telling you that everything was okay. You could trust him.  
  
"With myself," you sighed. "I don't know, it's just...ugh."  
  
"Take your time. I'll wait for you."  
  
You offered an appreciative smile. Arthur watched as you took a deep breath to calm yourself. "It all started with this stupid assignment. One of the questions just really got to me, and I was stumped over it. 'What do I like about myself'? Nothing; I really can't find anything I like about myself."  
  
"What do you mean? There are many things about you that make you amazing," Arthur answered.  
  
"Like what?" you asked, not quite believing a word he said.  
  
The young man shook his head and answered you with another question of his own, "What don't you like about yourself?"  
  
"My looks," was your immediate response.  
  
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I—along with many others I'm sure—think you are beautiful. I-I especially like your smile."The young man faltered a bit with his sentence.  
  
"My voice..."  
  
"Is really cute,” he finished for you as he felt his cheeks warm up slightly. He wasn't used to being this honest with you about how he felt towards you, but it looked like you really needed it.  
  
"I'm selfish..."  
  
"Everybody is, but you're kind. It's okay for you to be selfish sometimes because you are always so giving."  
  
"I'm boring..."  
  
"Spending time with you is always fun. The time spent with you is the best I've ever had."  
  
"..."

_So listen close to the sound of your soul_  
_Take back a life we led once before_  
 _If it ain't you then who?..._  
 _If it ain't you then who's gonna love you?_

You remained silent, unable to keep the tears from falling from your eyes. Your room was unbearably quiet, save for the occasional sobs you let out. At some point, Arthur had hesitantly wrapped his arms around you. His motions were awkward as he wasn't sure how to deal with this situation exactly, but he tried his best because seeing you crying was something he hated to see.  
  
The two of you stayed like that for a few more minutes, and you eventually calmed down. Everything seemed quieter to you, and that was when you realized just how close you were to the young man. You could hear your heart thumping, and you could only hope that Arthur wasn't able to hear it.

_Nobody's gonna love you if_  
_You can't display a way to capture this_  
 _Nobody's gonna hold your hand_  
 _And guide you through_  
 _It's up for you to understand_  
 _Nobody's gonna feel your pain_  
 _When all is done_  
 _And it's time for you to walk away_  
 _When you have today_  
 _You should say all that you have to say_

Once you had regained your composure, you slowly pulled away from Arthur's awkward yet warm embrace. You stared at him for a bit, and you saw him squirm slightly under your gaze.  
  
"Wh-what is it?" he asked, his voice sounding slightly rough.  
  
You shook your head and smiled at him, "It's nothing; I was just thinking... I'm really happy to have you in my life." You shyly encased the young man's hands in your own and looked up at him, giving him possibly the most beautiful smile he has ever seen in his entire life, and he tried to commit it to memory. "Thank you."

_So when you have today  
Say all that you have to say_


	6. Iceland: Not an Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff |You and Emil are the lead roles of your school play.**

The cafeteria buzzed with excited chatter as you and your friend, Emil, ate your lunches together. As of right now, you were trying to convince Emil to try out for the school play that the three drama teachers were hosting. It was a way to get more students involved with the school, and a way to get more money from ticket sales. They announced the play recently, so the teachers were just starting to hold auditions to see who would get to play a part in the event. You were convinced that Emil would be perfect for the main role—even though you had no idea what the play was about—so you were trying to persuade him to audition.  
  
"Come on Emil! It'll be fun," you insisted to the silver-haired young man.  
  
Emil flashed you a small smile, "No, it's okay."  
  
"You shook your head, "No it's not! You _have_ to try out! Please~?"  
  
You gave the best puppy dogface you could muster and stared intently at Emil. He turned his head to the side, trying to avoid looking at your pleading eyes. A small blush formed on his cheeks as you continued to stare at him, your expression never faltering. Your eyes lit up instantly the moment Emil let out a defeated sigh. You smiled triumphantly as Emil finally looked at you and gave in.  
  
"Alright, fine. But only on one condition," Emil said.  
  
You nodded enthusiastically. Emil smiled as he stated his condition, "You have to try out for the main female role."  
  
Your eyes darted from left to right as you had an internal debate on what your answer will be. After a few more seconds, you nodded, agreeing with the condition. "Fair enough."  
  
With that said, both you and Emil slung your backpacks over your shoulders and exited the crowded cafeteria. The two of you headed upstairs to the second floor where the drama room was. Across from the room was a bulletin board where they placed announcements and signup sheets. As of right now, the only papers that were pinned to the board were signup sheets for the upcoming play. There were different papers for different roles in the play: actors, musicians, backstage, costumery, and so forth. Your eyes looked over the sheets until you found the one for actors.  
  
"Wow..." Emil breathed out upon seeing the sheet.  
  
The paper was just full of different names in various types of handwriting. The two of you weren't expecting so many people to try out. Nevertheless, you took out a black pen from your bag and wrote your name in. Once you had finished, you handed the pen towards Emil and moved to the side to give the young man space to write his name. Your eyes watched the pen that moved with Emil's hand, spelling out his name.  
  
"There," Emil said as he returned the pen back to you.  
  
You thanked him as you placed the pen back inside your bag. Both you and Emil stood in your spots, [e/c] and violet eyes staring at each other's names. Both of you were snapped back to reality upon hearing the bell ring.  
  
"I have to go to my locker," Emil said as he turned on his heel, "I'll see you later in Math!"  
  
You waved goodbye towards your friend and heaved a sigh. The halls started to flood with students who had just finished their lunch, so you made your way to your next class, wondering how things will turn out later on.

* * *

It's been a week since you and Emil had signed your names on the signup sheet for the school play. The teachers had finally gotten around to starting the auditions. Each person who wanted to audition was given a sheet of paper in their homeroom classes as to when their auditions will be. All the auditions were to take place in the drama class but at different times.  
  
Maybe it was because the two of you signed your names together, but your audition and Emil's were side by side. Emil's audition was to be on Friday at 2:15, and your audition was to be at 2:20. So, the auditions were to be around only five minutes, which made you a tad bit more nervous.  
  
Despite how nervous you were feeling, you were cheering your friend on, "You'll do awesome! I just know it."  
  
"Thanks," Emil smiled at you, "I'm sure you'll do great too."  
  
Emil then headed inside the drama class while you waited outside, staring intently at the time. You started fidgeting in your seat as the time for your audition drew closer. All too soon, the door opened again and Emil stepped out. The two of you exchanged quick glances before you stood up and entered the room. Just before you did so, Emil placed a firm hand on your shoulder and flashed you an encouraging smile, "You'll do great."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The moment you entered the drama class, the three drama teachers greeted you. They all smiled at you warmly and started up small conversations to help ease your nerves. It honestly didn't help you that much at all. If anything, it made you even more nervous, but you tried to shrug it off.  
  
"Here you go," the teacher said as she handed you a sheet and pointing at some lines. "These are your lines. We're not looking so much for memorization, but rather, we're looking for how you project your voice and if you can convey emotion in your words."  
  
You nodded, showing that you understood. The teacher smiled and then went back to her spot. You watched as the three of them organized themselves before bringing their eyes up to you and nodding, signaling you to start. You took a deep breath.

* * *

"Well? How was it?" Emil asked, standing up from his seat the moment you left the classroom.  
  
You let out a huge sigh of relief, "I probably sucked, but hey, it was fun...though, I'm pretty much ready to collapse."  
  
Emil chuckled, "If you get chosen, you'll need to get rid of that stage fright of yours."  
  
You let out a small laugh, "Yeah, that's true. What about you, though? We didn't really get a chance to talk about how you did."  
  
The silver-haired male shrugged, "It was okay."  
  
You scoffed and rolled your eyes playfully, "Aw c'mon! I'm sure you did awesome! I'm certain you'll get chosen for the lead role."  
  
Emil shrugged, "We won't know until later."  
  
"Yeah..."

* * *

It was now three days after your audition, and you believed all of the auditions were done; however, there haven't been any announcements. At first, you were really nervous, but as the days passed by in which there were no announcements, the more you slowly forgot about the whole thing. It wasn't until at Math that you heard about the results being posted up on the bulletin board across from the drama class.  
  
"Do you want to go check during lunch if we got in?" Emil asked you while you sat at your desk, trying to figure out the solution to this complicated Math question.  
  
You looked up from your homework and nodded, "Yeah, sure."  
  
The minutes seemed to pass by way too slowly. You kept on glancing towards the clock and wished that time would pass by much faster. Eventually, the bell rang and you were quick to pack up your books and belongings. You stayed behind and waited for Emil. As soon as the two of you had gathered your stuff, you and Emil dashed to the drama class. It looked like the two of you weren't the only ones who were curious to see who got accepted. There was already a large group in front of the bulletin board.  
  
"Uh...let's wait for a bit," you suggested, "I don't really want to get squished today."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
Therefore, the two of you stood at the back as the group slowly but surely dispersed. Once there were only about seven students left, both you and Emil went forward to glance at the bulletin board. Your eyes widened upon seeing your name up there, but that wasn't all. You got the lead female role!  
  
"Congratulations!" Emil congratulated you as he spotted your name.  
  
"Thanks," you grinned, "What about you? Did you get in?"  
  
Emil glanced back at the paper and pointed towards his name. Emil got the lead male role as well. You couldn't contain your excitement and let out a small squeal and jumped up and down. "Ohmygosh! That's so awesome! Congrats Emil!"  
  
Emil thanked you before continuing to inspect the paper. "I wonder when we'll get the scripts."  
  
You shrugged, "Probably later on at the day, and if we don't, we'll just ask the teachers."  
  
"You're right."  
  
For the remainder of the day, you couldn't get your thoughts off of getting accepted for the play. You were going through a roller coaster of emotions—happiness, excitement, nervousness, fear, and so on. Nevertheless, you were just glad to have gotten accepted as a lead role with Emil. You and Emil had been friends for a long time, but lately, you've been looking at Emil at a different perspective. You couldn't really put your finger as to what was different, but it was different nonetheless. You were much happier around him, and it seemed like you were putting a bit more focus on him than you usually did.  
  
Little did you know that Emil felt the same way. He would always match his walking pace with yours, and he would always try to spend as much time as he could with you. Emil always seemed bored whenever he wasn't with you, and just like you, he couldn't figure out just what this new feeling was.  
  
You were in last period barely paying attention to the lesson when there was an announcement calling for all of the actors for the play. You were quick to get up from your seat and leave the classroom upon hearing your name.  
  
_"Anything to get away from that boring lesson,"_ you thought to yourself as you merrily walked to the drama class.  
  
There were already some people there, and the teachers were still waiting for the other actors to come down before they explained how things for the play would work out. You scanned the group of actors for Emil, but came up empty-handed. You felt your heart drop a bit and started glancing at the doors, hoping he would come soon. Your eyes lit up instantly when you saw his silver-hair walk through the door.  
  
"Hey," he greeted you as he walked up to you.  
  
You returned the greeting, "Hey."  
  
Soon enough, all of the actors had made their way to the drama class and the teachers spoke up, silencing the group. You noticed that the teachers were holding papers in their hands. You had assumed they were the scripts, and you were right.  
  
"Sorry for the delay on the scripts," the teacher apologized. "The photocopier was malfunctioning, so we only got these just now."  
  
The script was being handed out and the teacher continued her explanation. "Now then, rehearsal will start tomorrow after school. You don't have to memorize the script at all, but please do go over the play to get an idea of what it is and to get the feel of it."  
  
You finally got your hands on the script and you quickly glanced at the title, _Truth of the Heart_. You tilted your head curiously and flipped through the script, briefly glancing over the contents. From what you quickly skimmed, it seemed like the play was about a prince who was cursed or something like that. You closed the script shut and looked back up at the teacher.  
  
"We'll have to work fast; we'll be presenting this play two weeks from now. It's because of this that rehearsals will be on the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of these two weeks. Let's do our best!" the teacher said, giving everyone a mini pep talk.  
  
The group nodded and some even yelled at "Yeah!" before everyone started going back to their classrooms to collect their stuff before the bell rang. As you went back to your classroom, you resumed skimming through the script. It seemed really interesting, and you couldn't wait to get rehearsal started.

* * *

You were quick to announce to your family that you got accepted as the lead female role in your school play. Your family congratulated you, and as soon as that was done, you went to your room and locked yourself in it to read over the script. You were absolutely immersed in the play; it interested you greatly.  
  
The play was about a lonely prince was confined to the castle. Apparently, the parents had angered a witch a long time ago, and the witch cursed their only son and heir to the throne. The curse was that their son, Adalsteinn, would die at the age of eighteen, which was also the age he was supposed to get married. Getting paranoid and worried, Adalsteinn's parents had confined him to the castle where he could be constantly watched and guarded.  
  
Adalsteinn was now seventeen years old, and his parents were getting even more worried for their son's safety, which in turn only made Adalsteinn rebellious and kept to himself. One day, a beautiful peasant girl, Lilianne, was dared by her friends to sneak into the castle. Of course, Lilianne was reluctant, but she ended up doing it anyways. As Lilianne was sneaking around, she found herself in the prince's room. Lilianne froze and was ready to beg for her life for trespassing, but then Adalsteinn told her that it was okay and not to worry. Lilianne was hesitant and wanted to leave as soon as possible, but after seeing how lonely the prince looked, she decided to stay.  
  
The two spent a long time talking with each other and getting to know the other person. When Lilianne had to leave, the two promised to meet again as they had a lot of fun together. It then became a regular thing for Lilianne to sneak in the castle and talk with the prince. There were instances when the two were close to getting caught, but they were always quick to smooth out any problems that presented itself. Soon enough, the two fell in love, but it was forbidden for Lilianne was just a mere peasant and Adalsteinn was a prince—a cursed prince. The prince kept his curse a secret from Lilianne, afraid that she would leave him all alone.  
  
It was now the day before Adalsteinn's eighteenth birthday, and the prince was very nervous. Lilianne had always known that the prince was to marry at the age of eighteen, and she assumed that that was the reason why he was holding back; she thought that Adalsteinn was going to marry another girl, but that was wrong. Adalsteinn eventually broke down and confessed everything to Lilianne that he was fated to die the next day.  
  
Lilianne was shocked, and Adalsteinn was ready for Lilianne to leave her, but instead, Lilianne wrapped the prince into a warm embrace and promised that she would never leave him. She will stay with him until his final moments. That night, Lilianne decided to stay over at Adalsteinn's house and stay with him. The two stayed up until midnight, talking with each other and saying their goodbyes.  
  
All too soon, midnight had struck, and the witch had appeared in front of the two. The witch had explained the situation to the two and her reason for coming to kill Adalsteinn. She raised her hand, ready to kill Adalsteinn when Lilianne stepped in between and begged the witch to spare Adalsteinn's life as he had done nothing wrong, and the witch hesitated for a brief moment.  
  
Before anything else could happen, guards had barged inside the prince's room to see what the ruckus was all about. The guards were shocked to see the supernatural being before them, but before they could do anything, the witch had casted a sleeping spell on them. Adalsteinn's parents then entered the room and just like the guards, were shocked to find the witch.  
  
The witch froze the king and queen in their spots, rendering them unable to do anything as the witch advanced on the prince. She then placed her hand on his head and—to everyone's surprise—spared the prince’s life. She explained that she once experienced pure love just like Lilianne's and Adalsteinn's, and the witch couldn't bear to break that love, and then she vanished without a trace.  
  
Adalsteinn then had to introduce Lilianne to his parents, and just then and there, Adalsteinn decided he wanted to marry Lilianne. The play ends with the couple in a warm embrace and kissing.  
  
You froze when your eyes landed upon the last scene. Kiss. You had to _kiss_ Emil. This was a huge issue for you, considering how you had never kissed anyone before. A good two minutes passed by before you finally snapped yourself back to reality. You quickly dove for your phone and punched in the numbers for Emil’s cell.  
  
"Hello?" the familiar voice on the other side of the phone answered.  
  
"Hey," you greeted the male, your voice shaking slightly from nervousness. "Um...so, I finished reading the play and..."  
  
"I finished reading it too," Emil said.  
  
"You did?" you asked.  
  
"Yeah," he replied.  
  
You gulped, "Oh, okay. So...what did you think of the ending?"  
  
"It was...good," Emil answered, though the response sounded uncertain and awkward.  
  
"Yeah, I thought so too," you said. "But um...there's just one small issue."  
  
"What is it?" Emil asked.  
  
"Uh...I...I've never kissed anyone before," you confessed.  
  
There was a brief pause on the other side. "Neither have I."  
  
"...Oh, I see," you lamely replied.  
  
The silence was very awkward and you ran out of things to say. "So...um...what are we going to do?"  
  
"...I don't know," Emil said, "I guess we'll just have to figure it out later on."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"...Well, good night," you said after a while.  
  
"Good night."  
  
With that, the two of you hung up, and you lay down on your bed, staring at the ceiling above you. _"What am I going to do...?"_

* * *

You were very monotonous throughout the entire school day. You couldn't help it! Your mind just couldn't wrap itself around the idea of having to kiss Emil. Whenever you thought about it, a blush would crawl to your cheek, and your classmates would get worried and ask you if you were feeling sick.  
  
"I'm fine," was your response, but inside, you were just a nervous wreck.  
  
School finally ended and you were one of the few people to arrive at the drama class first. Emil still wasn't there, so you took an empty spot and sat down, reading over the script. You didn't appear in the first few scenes, so you weren't that immersed in the script unlike the others playing the witch and king and queen. As you continued going over the script, you heard a few familiar voices from the hallway.  
  
"That's so awesome! I can't believe you got the lead role!" you realized that the voice belonged to none other than a friend of yours, Mathias.  
  
You got up from your spot and glanced out into the hallway. Emil was walking with Mathias and Lukas. It seemed like the three were discussing the play.  
  
"I read the script," Lukas said, "So you'll be kissing [Name]?"  
  
"Eh?! No way!!" Mathias exclaimed. "Are you really?!"  
  
Emil shrugged the two off, ignoring the last few comments and questions, "Well, I'm here. Why don't the two of you head home already?"  
  
"...Alright, fine," Lukas said, "Have fun. Let's go, Mathias."  
  
"But...wait! I wanna know more about this kiss!" Mathias yelled out as Lukas dragged him away.  
  
Emil watched the two leave and heaved a sigh. He then looked up and made eye contact with you, though the two of you were quick to look away. The air around you two was very obstinate and the others had sensed it, which was probably why some of them came up to you and started up a conversation.  
  
The teachers came a few minutes later and called for everyone's attention. They said that they were going to start from the beginning of the play up until the scene where Lilianne meets Adalsteinn for the first time and leaves to go back to her home. Therefore, you weren't really up on stage that much, so you stayed at the back and watched the other actors, though you were more focused on Emil. He seemed really into the character of Adalsteinn. He was passionate and wonderful as prince.  
  
Soon enough, it was your turn to speak, and just like Emil, you were very passionate with your rehearsal and spoke with lots of emotion. There were a few instances where you stumbled on your words, but you were quick to shrug them off, as that was the whole point of a rehearsal. Overall, the rehearsal seemed to go very well and it was now time for everyone to leave and go home.  
  
The next rehearsal, you were going over your lines again before rehearsal officially started, and some people walked up to you. You quickly glanced up and mentally cursed your bad luck. It was none other than the infamous Bad Touch Trio. The three played the guards in the play, so it honestly didn’t surprise you that they would be at the rehearsal.  
  
"Could I help you?" you asked politely, though you really just wanted to get out of there.  
  
The Bad Touch Trio weren't people you really wanted to get involved with. Well, it wasn't that they were necessarily "bad" despite having the word in their title, but they always made you feel uncomfortable. You knew they would never cross the line, but they were still fairly...annoying, for a lack of a better word.  
  
Gilbert swung his arm over your shoulder, "Oh, well you know...we just thought you might need some company considering how lonely you looked."  
  
"I don't _need_ your company," you replied, freeing yourself from the male's arm, "and I don't _want_ your company either."  
  
"Ah, that's so harsh," Francis said. This time it was his turn to wrap his arms around you. You twitched and restrained yourself from punching the man, not like it would do you any good considering how strong the three of them were and you didn’t want any trouble. "C'mon~ Why don't we play for a little bit before the teachers come in?"  
  
"Thanks, but no thanks," you answered, trying to free yourself from the Frenchman's grip, but he was relentless.  
  
"Francis, let her go," you heard a familiar voice say. "Can't you see how uncomfortable she is?"  
  
It was Emil, and you were grateful that he had come. Francis huffed and let you go, "Ahh, you're no fun. C'mon you two. Let's go."  
  
"But I didn't get a chance to play with [Name]..." Antonio whined as he followed the other two.  
  
You watched the trio walk away, and you let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much Emil. I thought I was a goner back there."  
  
Emil softly chuckled, "You're welcome; though I think it'd be better if you stayed with a group just to avoid getting stuck with them again."  
  
"Yeah, I'll take you up on that advice."  
  
Today's rehearsal was focused more on Lilianne and Adalsteinn getting familiar with each other and becoming good friends. Since you and Emil were already good friends, it was a really easy rehearsal, and the teachers praised the both of you on your chemistry and emotions; that part confused you a bit though as you didn't quite understand just what they meant exactly. Nevertheless, you and Emil enjoyed yourself, and soon enough, rehearsal was over once again.  
  
As you went over the play in your mind as you headed home, you realized that the next rehearsal would contain the kiss scene. You felt butterflies in your stomach and you were close to breaking down. You had absolutely never kissed anyone before, so you had no idea what to do. What if you failed miserably? Your shoulders sunk as you tried to think of other stuff to distract yourself.  
  
All too soon, the rehearsal came again and your big moment with Emil drew closer and closer, and you grew even more anxious. Even though it was "just a play", it was your first kiss, and that was serious business. Nobody else seemed to realize your apprehension except Emil, but you realized that Emil seemed tense as well.  
  
"No, sorry, that's not good enough," one of the teachers said for the umpteenth time that rehearsal, interrupting the scene just before you could "kiss" Emil.  
  
"I'm sorry," you apologized, "I'm just...not really good with scenes like this."  
  
The teachers nodded, "We understand. Unfortunately, we ran out of time, and this was our last rehearsal since things will be really busy for us for the week. Just practice those scenes, and if worse comes to worse, we could always wing it."  
  
_"That's...really reassuring,"_ you thought sarcastically as you got ready to leave for home.

* * *

It was now the big day of the performance, and you were super close to having a nervous breakdown. You paced back and forth backstage in your costume—which you absolutely loved, by the way—in an attempt to calm down. Your eyes glanced towards Emil at the other side of the stage. He looked absolutely wonderful and handsome in a prince costume. You couldn't help but stare at him, but when he would look up, you immediately looked down. Your eyes travelled to glance at the clock and the teachers started giving the entire crew a mini pep talk, signaling that the play was starting very soon, and soon enough, the curtains started to rise.  
  
So far, the play has been going very well. Everyone, including yourself, was really good with their lines and was able to convey their voices and emotions wonderfully. You enjoyed the scenes where Lilianne and Adalsteinn were getting to know each other and become good friends, because it was just like being yourself with Emil. It was very natural. Then, you realized that the kiss scene was coming up real soon. You started mentally preparing yourself.  
  
It was now the scene where Adalsteinn introduces Lilianne to his parents and decides that he wanted to marry her. The previous scene with the witch was done almost perfectly, save for the fact that the Bad Touch Trio, the guards, had a hard time "falling asleep" and staying quiet.  
  
"Please! Mother, father...I love Lilianne! She means the world to me!" Emil recited his lines. He glanced towards you, and you saw something...different, in his eyes. "She has stayed with me for all these times. At first, she was just nothing more but a friend, but now..."  
  
Your expression faltered for a brief moment, as you don't remember having these lines on the script. You quickly glanced over to the other actors, and they seemed just as confused as you. That was when you concluded that Emil was improvising, but it seemed like his words were directed towards you directly.  
  
"Now she means everything to me," Emil continued. "I was all alone, but then she came into my life, and I was—am—so grateful. I have never felt this way before, but...it's nice. There's excitement and happiness in my life, and just seeing her every day, fills me with joy. I love her, and...I want to make her my princess."  
  
"Emil..." you quietly whispered his name so that only the male could hear it.  
  
Emil wrapped his arm around you, and with his free hand, cupped your cheek and leaned in close to you. He paused just a few millimeters away from your lips, and then, he kissed you. It was a simple and sweet kiss. At first, you stiffened, not knowing what to do, but eventually, you melted into the kiss. You heard the crowd roar with applause as the curtains slowly closed, but you didn't care. All that mattered now was Emil and his warm lips on yours.  
  
Once the curtains have closed, the two of you separated, and just stared at each other's eyes. All of the other actors walked over to the stage for the end where everyone bows. As they arranged themselves on the stage, you could hear whispers amongst them about your kiss with Emil, but you ignored them.  
  
When the curtains opened again, the audience was in a standing ovation. You beamed under their applause, and you bowed along with everyone. Once the play was over, everyone started going in his or her own directions. You decided to stay back for a bit and help out with the cleaning as well as to talk with the other crew members. While you were talking with them, you felt someone tap your shoulder. You turned around and came face-to-face with Emil.  
  
"O-Oh, hello Emil," you greeted the male, casting your eyes downwards. That kiss was still fresh in your mind, and you couldn't help but blush in his presence.  
  
"You did a wonderful job out there," Emil complimented you.  
  
"Thanks. You too," you replied.  
  
The people you were talking with had left the two of you alone, leaving an awkward silence to hang in the air. You opened your mouth several times to say something, but nothing came out. In the end, you just decided to stay quiet.  
  
"So...I have a question," Emil said, grabbing hold of your hands.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Emil asked, "What did you think of the end?"  
  
"I...liked it," you admitted. "You're really good at improvising."  
  
"You do know that I meant those words for you, right?" Emil said.  
  
You looked down at the ground once more, "I...um...I suspected."  
  
A warm smile graced Emil's lips as he tilted your head upwards so that you would look at his eyes. "I mean everything I said back there. I...I really like you."  
  
"I like you too," you confessed, smiling at the silver-haired male.  
  
"Would you...would you like to go on a date some day?" Emil asked.  
  
"...Yeah, that'd be nice," you answered.  
  
Emil smiled and planted another kiss on your cheek. "Great. I'll talk to you later about the details."  
  
Emil then turned on his heel and left, giving you a small wave. You waved back, while touching your cheek where Emil had kissed you. You grinned. Convincing Emil to try out for the school play was a good idea after all.


	7. Japan: Dating Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff |You play too many dating games, so Alfred decides to set you up with one of his own.**

"Really Alfred, I don't think this is necessary..." you whined as Alfred dragged you along behind him.  
  
"Nonsense!" Alfred replied, forcing you to sit down on a chair. "You play a lot of dating games, right?"  
  
You cut in before the American could continue with his reasoning, "Those are just done online. They're _completely_ fake and fictional."  
  
"Exactly my point!" Alfred exclaimed. "It's about time you go on a _real_ date with a _real_ person."  
  
A small frown made its way onto your lips. How did things get like this? Well, one day, you were just talking with Alfred about a dating game you just recently found and you were completely hooked on it! You continued to talk about the dating game until Alfred had cut you short. He decided that playing an actual real dating game with real people would be much more fun and amusing, so he set this whole thing up. You honestly didn't plan on participating, but the American had dragged you onto the poorly set up stage that he quickly made.  
  
"...Fine," you let out a defeated sigh.  
  
"Great!" Alfred beamed, taking one small step back. He then made a sweeping a motion with his hands. "Go ahead and choose a curtain!"  
  
In front of you were five curtains. All of them were of different colours: white, black, red, blue, and yellow, and behind every single one of them was some guy that Alfred had managed to convince to play along. You stared at each of the curtains long and hard. At some point, Alfred started humming the _Jeopardy_ theme, much to your annoyance.  
  
A few more minutes passed by and Alfred continued to hum the theme. "Oh can you please stop?!" you finally barked at the blond, and he did. "...Thank you!"  
  
After much internal debate, you finally made your choice and pointed to the red curtain. Alfred directed his gaze to where your finger was pointing and he grinned widely; you could have sworn you saw a bit of mischievousness as well but quickly dismissed it.  
  
"And your lucky guy is..." the American paused for dramatic effect as the red curtain fell down to the ground, revealing a short, slim man with black hair. Your eyes widened instantly when you recognized that face.  
  
"...K-Kiku?" you managed to choke out his name.  
  
"[Name]?" Kiku asked, the disbelief in his voice matching yours.  
  
An awkward silence hung in the air, but Alfred was completely oblivious to it. It wasn't like he was ever good at reading the atmosphere. He merely grabbed your hand, helping you stand up and led you towards the Japanese man. Kiku stood up from his seat as well just as you and Alfred stopped a few feet away from him.  
  
"Alright! So your date's going to be on Saturday and Kiku here's going to pick you up at 5:30!" Alfred explained. "So that gives [Name] here two days to get a supreme makeover and get everything she needs."  
  
"Just two days?!"  
  
"It's alright [Name]," Kiku reassured you, flashing a smile. "It's not like you need it anyways."  
  
This prompted you to blush and look down shyly at your feet. Alfred laughed as he led you back outside and offered to walk you back home.

* * *

Two days seemed to pass by rather quickly, and you were in your room, giving yourself one final look-over at the mirror. You wore a strapless [f/c] dress that flowed freely around your knees. A black, semi-shear shawl was draped over your shoulders and you wore matching black dress shoes.  
  
"You look beautiful," your friend complimented you.  
  
"Thanks. It's all because of you really," you replied, flashing a gentle smile towards her.  
  
The moment that you had arrived back at home two days ago, you immediately called your best female friend and explained your situation. She was more than willing to help you; she was the one that helped pick out your outfit, and she was the one to help you with your subtle makeup.  
  
"It's almost time...Do you want to wait downstairs?" your friend asked you.  
  
You nodded; you were so nervous that words refused to leave your lips. So, you walked down the stairs a bit shakily as you felt butterflies start to form in the pit of your stomach. You plopped down on the couch and waited anxiously for the doorbell to ring.  
  
"Relax, you'll do fine," your friend tried to calm your nerves.  
  
"What if I mess up?" you asked as your started fiddling with your thumbs, "I mean, I've always liked Kiku and...what if I go and do something utterly stupid and embarrassing?"  
  
Your companion shot you a sympathetic smile as you tried to get your fast-paced breathing back to normal. "It's your first date, right? Just pretend it's like those countless dating games you're always playing."  
  
"But those are just games! It's okay to get a bad ending in there, because it's a _game_ and you could always restart," you tried to explain in exasperation. "Real life is different! Once you get the bad ending, that's it!"  
  
Your friend merely chuckled at your mini-rant and placed a hand on your shoulder, "Like I said, just relax. I'm sure you'll get the perfect ending."  
  
"I hope," you sighed.  
  
At that moment, you heard the doorbell ring. You stiffened upon hearing the sound and looking at the time. You were so stiff and out of it that your friend had to shake you a couple of times to bring you back to reality.  
  
"Right...let's do this," you mumbled to yourself as you lifted yourself up from the couch and started heading towards the door. You took one final, deep breath before grabbing hold of the knob and turning it.  
  
"H-Hello Kiku," you stuttered out a greeting upon laying your eyes on the man.  
  
He was wearing a simple and classic tux and held a bouquet of red roses in his hands. He held them out towards you. "For you..." he mumbled out.  
  
Kiku couldn't help but admire how beautiful you looked right now—well, he always thought you were beautiful (he never said it out loud though), but right now you were just strikingly _gorgeous_ that it left him almost speechless.  
  
"Th-Thanks," you smiled as you accepted the bouquet with shaky hands.  
  
You closed the door behind you, but not before catching your friend wish you luck. Kiku held out his hand for you, and you shyly took it. The male led you to his car and opened the passenger's door for you before making his way towards the wheel.  
  
"So where would you like to go?" Kiku asked. "I was thinking about either visiting an art museum or going to a really popular star gazing place, but I wanted you to choose."  
  
"Why not do both?" you suggested, "it _is_ still rather early and the stars aren't out yet, so let's visit the art gallery first and then go star gazing later."  
  
"Alright," Kiku replied as he started driving to the direction of the art gallery.  
  
The entire ride was awkward. The both of you tried to start small conversations to try and get rid of the discomfort, but the conversations were always held short and just made the atmosphere more awkward than it already was. In just a few minutes—it felt more like hours—the two of you finally made it to the art gallery. Both you and Kiku exited and the car and started heading towards the entrance. Once you entered, you were left almost breathless at the wonderful paintings that decorated the walls and the beautiful sculptures spread evenly in the building.  
  
"These are so beautiful," you said, completely awed. "I wish I could do stuff like these."  
  
"I'm sure you would once you get enough practice," Kiku replied.  
  
Most of your date was just full of light chatter and laughs with the Japanese man. The atmosphere became less uncomfortable and tense after spending much more time with each other. At some point in time, the two of you had started to hold hands. The two of you were walking to another exhibit in gallery and you had nearly tripped on your own feet. Luckily for you, Kiku was there to grab hold of your hand before you face planted on the floor.  
  
"Th-thanks," you thanked the man as a slight tint of red made its way to your cheeks.  
  
"No problem," Kiku replied, never letting go of your hand, but you didn't mind at all.  
  
After visiting all of the exhibits in the art gallery, the two of you decided to start heading towards the spot that Kiku had in mind, but not before grabbing something to eat. You said that you weren't all that hungry—you were far too nervous to eat—so in the end, both you and Kiku ordered some ice cream. He had paid for you, and you thanked him for yet another time during the date.  
  
"It's no problem really," Kiku smiled shyly at you, "Anything for you after all."  
  
 _"This is definitely starting to look like I'm on the path for the 'Perfect Ending',"_ you thought happily to yourself as a cute smile graced your lips.  
  
"Shall we be going now?" Kiku asked you once the two of you had finished eating. He stood up and offered his hand to help you up.  
  
You gladly accepted it and nodded, "Yes. That would be nice."  
  
The Japanese man drove the two of you to a field where you could gaze at the stars. It was a fairly empty place, but there were a few couples here and there. The sky was now dark and the stars started to show up one by one. Kiku grabbed hold of your hand and led you to a more secluded area in the field. You tilted your head upwards and stared at the sky.  
  
"They're so beautiful," you marvelled at the sight.  
  
Kiku spared you a side glance and blushed upon seeing your stunning smile and captivating eyes. He lightly bit his lip and finally managed to gain enough confidence to reply, "Though their beauty cannot match yours."  
  
Your eyes widened slightly upon hearing that compliment and you turned your head to face the Japanese man. This time, it was _he_ who looked up at the sky as he tried to avoid your gaze.  
  
"Thank you..." you managed to mumble out once you had found your voice again.  
  
A comfortable silence hung in the air, though it felt as though the two of you had something important to say. It was just that both you and Kiku were far too shy, and it seemed like you were waiting for the other to make the first move.  
  
"Listen, [Name]..." Kiku started, "there's something that I want to tell you."  
  
"Yes? What is it?" you asked as you looked at Kiku.  
  
Your breath hitched in your throat upon seeing Kiku's eyes. They held so much... _emotion_ and passion, and they were directed to you and _only_ you. The butterflies that you felt in your stomach throughout the entire date seemed to increase and heat rose to your cheeks.  
  
"I..." the Japanese man started but started to trail off. He took your hand in his and intertwined your fingers.  Then, with his free hand, Kiku caressed your cheek and whispered, "I love you."  
  
You were stunned silent upon hearing his confession. Your expression held disbelief, but it mostly held joy. You let out a shaky breath and placed your hand atop Kiku's hand that was caressing your cheek, and you smiled at him lovingly.  
  
"I love you too," you whispered back. Even though there were no other people nearby, you whispered those words that you've always wanted to say to the man in front of you, so that it was only he who could hear it.  
  
Kiku smiled back and stopped caressing your cheek and let go of your hand. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to him. You rested your head upon his chest where you could hear his fast-paced heartbeat that matched yours. It was a comforting sound, and the warmth you felt from him was soothing as well.  
  
So there you two stood, embracing under the night sky while enjoying the other's peaceful company. This was far better than the perfect ending you were expecting.


	8. HetaQuest!Prussia: Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Slice of Life |You’re the woman in Gilbert’s dreams, and now you stand before him.**

Gilbert tossed and turned around in his bed restlessly; he was having another nightmare. It was where he was all alone in a vast and empty space. No one and nothing else was there to accompany him, except for _that_ voice: the voice that had always come back to haunt him in his dreams.  
  
 _"Kill him. Kill that damn King of the Âge Empire. Wage a war. Bathe in the blood of your enemies."_  
  
Gilbert frowned and clenched his fists. "No...I don't want to..."  
  
He tried to resist and force out the voice in his head, but it was no use. That voice had always been in his mind ever since that fateful day when the previous ruler of the Ramnyeg Empire attempted to turn Gilbert's precious brother, Ludwig, into a weapon by making him the User of the Black Jewel. Since Gilbert intervened with the process, the power was shared amongst the siblings, as proven by the mark on the back of both their hands. Gilbert was glad that, even though he wasn't able to save Ludwig, he was at least able to share the heavy burden. Unfortunately, by being a User of the Black Jewel, there was a high chance of the royal going insane due to the relentlessness of the voice.  
  
 _"Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill—"_  
  
 ** _"Oh? Your Majesty, is that voice bothering you again?"_**  
  
Gilbert who had been on the verge of insanity almost immediately calmed down upon hearing a familiar voice. That voice belonged to a beautiful woman—the same woman who would always appear in Gilbert's dreams whenever that voice was too much for him to bear.  
  
"I-It's you..." Gilbert stumbled a bit on his words as the woman appeared almost magically before him in his dreams. He almost didn't realize that the voice had left him alone.  
  
Upon making her presence known, the woman curtsied while wearing a small smile on her lips. "It's an honour to see you again, Your Majesty."  
  
Gilbert's expression softened significantly. He shook his head as he said, "There's no need to show such formality, even if I am _that_ awesome."  
  
The smile that the woman wore on her lips slowly changed to that of a sad one as she straightened herself. She folded her hands neatly in front of her and replied, "Oh, but that would be quite rude. You are royalty after all, and I'm of a low status."  
  
Gilbert let out a laugh. "I highly doubt that. I may be the emperor, but you are an absolute angel, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think that outranks the awesome me."  
  
This response couldn't help but make the woman in front of Gilbert laugh. "To hear such words from the emperor himself...I'm quite flattered; however, that's not true at all. No one could outrank the awesome you."  
  
"...I wish you were real..." Gilbert sighed wistfully.  
  
 _"I **am** real."_

* * *

The silver-haired royal sat upon his throne, resting his chin upon the fingers of his closed hand. He let out a tired sigh as the family he was talking to left the room; as emperor, it was his job to listen to the people of his empire. Of course, Gilbert cared deeply for his people, but after listening to a string of complaints for more than ten minutes could get quite annoying. Roderich called for the next person who had requested an audience with the royal, but not before shooting Gilbert a chastising glare as though telling him to straighten up. The royal sighed again; he had no choice.  
  
The large and ornate doors opened, followed by dainty steps walking inside the room. Gilbert's eyes widened upon seeing who it was that entered. That (h/c) hair and those kind (e/c) eyes...it couldn't be...  
  
You stopped a fair distance from Gilbert and curtsied while giving the royal a greeting, "Your Majesty."  
  
You remained in that curtsied position, waiting for Gilbert's acknowledgement to raise your head. When it didn't come, you couldn't help but start panicking a bit, wondering if you did something wrong. You slowly and daringly raised your eyes to see if something was wrong. Gilbert was gripping the armrests of his throne and was almost on the edge of his seat.  
  
"Your Majesty, is something wrong?" Roderich asked, concerned for his emperor's strange behaviour.  
  
As though snapping himself back to reality, Gilbert shook his head and slunk back in his chair so that he was comfortable, but still maintained that proper appearance. He cleared his throat. "No, I'm fine... Sorry about that. Is there something you wish to talk to me about?"  
  
Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, you straightened yourself up and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am [Name]. I come here on behalf of King Francis Bonnefoy from the Âge Empire. I was told to personally deliver this letter to you."  
  
The moment you said that, you fished through your pockets and found the aforementioned letter. You took it out carefully and took a few steps closer to Gilbert and held it out for him to take while keeping your head respectfully bowed down. He did so gratefully and you took a few steps back. You waited for Gilbert to open the envelope and read the letter, but he made no move to do so, causing you to raise your eyebrow in curiosity.  
  
"Couldn't he just send one of those pigeons of his?" Gilbert asked after inspecting the envelope containing the letter. He didn't open it at all, and it looked like he wasn't about to do so soon until he finished asking questions. "Why would he send you?"  
  
You answered, "King Francis has been getting quite worried. His letters have kept on getting intercepted, so he took a cautious approach and decided to send me instead."  
  
"All by yourself? If it's so important, then surely it would be dangerous to travel by yourself," Gilbert raised an eyebrow.  
  
"That is true, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." You paused before continuing, "...No, that's not it. It doesn't matter if something happens to me... Just as long as that letter safely makes it to your hands, then nothing else matters."  
  
You saw Gilbert frown a bit after you said so, but paid it no attention. It doesn't matter anymore. You were able to hand the letter to Gilbert safe and sound; nothing else mattered anymore. You fulfilled your duty, and that was it. So then why did it pain you so much to see Gilbert upset? You knew very well why; you loved him, but you didn't want to admit it.  
  
After a long pause, Gilbert finally opened the envelope and scanned the contents of the letter that was inside. As soon as he was done reading it, he heaved a sigh. "I see..."  
  
"If that is all, Your Majesty, I will be taking my leave now. It was an honour meeting you," you curtsied once more and turned on your heel to leave. The doors closed behind you and you started heading towards back home, but stopped midway. You had looked at the buildings and people as you were walking back, but decided that you could stay here a bit longer. It wasn't like you were in any real hurry to get back home, though you knew you should to report back to King Francis as soon as possible.  
  
"...Just a few minutes longer," you decided and turned on your heel once again and walked around the new setting a bit.  
  
You eventually found yourself in front of a long and huge staircase. Curious, you walked all the way to the top and were awed at the view below you. You could see the entire place from up there. It was absolutely beautiful; you almost didn't want to go back home now after seeing such a stunning sight.

* * *

"Your Majesty, I sincerely do hope that you do your work seriously this time and not run off again," Roderich sighed as Gilbert lazily dragged his pen across the papers in front of him.  
  
Gilbert waved his free hand in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."  
  
Roderich stayed standing in place, making sure Gilbert was doing his work properly. After a few minutes, Roderich decided that he could leave the emperor to his work, and Roderich left the room, closing the door behind him. Gilbert waited a moment before dropping his pen on the desk and stretched. He walked over to his window and opened it while wearing a mischievous grin on his face.  
  
"Kesesese, like hell the awesome me would stay cooped up in here doing boring work."  
  
Just like usual, Gilbert snuck out of his room carefully and quietly. He walked around cautiously as to not be seen from the guards, and as soon as he made it out of the palace grounds without being spotted, he let out a huge sigh of relief. The silver-haired man walked around his beloved city, smiling in greeting towards the citizens who bowed and greeted him upon seeing their emperor. The royal walked up the stairs, heading towards his favourite place whenever he snuck out of the palace. It was there that he could see the wonderful place and people that he ruled over.  
  
As Gilbert finally reached the top of the stairs, he stopped in his tracks the moment he laid his eyes on you. You were leaning against the railing, a blissful smile on your lips as your hair blew with the breeze. You were so engrossed in your thoughts that you didn't hear the royal approach you. The moment you finally took notice of the man beside you was when he decided to speak.  
  
"It's an awesome place, isn't it? But of course that's because it's the awesome me who rules over everything and everyone."  
  
You snapped yourself out of your thoughts and started panicking upon seeing Gilbert's face. "Y-Y-Your Majesty! O-Oh, please excuse me! I-I didn't see you," you stammered with your words as you sloppily tried to bow in respect.  
  
Gilbert laughed at your surprised reaction, causing a small blush to appear on your cheeks. You looked away in embarrassment. Once Gilbert stopped laughing, he smiled as he turned his attention to the place below him and leaned on the railing. There was a short moment of silence between the two of you, but it wasn't awkward at all. If anything, it was quite comfortable.  
  
"I thought you were going back to the Âge Empire," Gilbert said.  
  
By now you had regained most of your composure and gazed towards the city. "I was...but then I saw how beautiful this place was, and I couldn't help but stay a bit longer to sight see. After all, it's not every day that I get a chance to come here."  
  
"Yeah, about that...I know you said it was because Francis was just being cautious, but I still don't understand why it was _you_ that he sent to deliver the letter," Gilbert replied.  
  
You looked down and twiddled with your thumbs, "To be honest, it was supposed to be someone else to deliver the message, but I begged King Francis if I could be the one to come here..."  
  
Gilbert raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Why?"  
  
"...I wanted to finally be able to see you," you answered, your voice a complete whisper as the small blush that you had just gotten rid of came back.  
  
"Is it because you heard a lot about the awesome me and wanted to see for yourself just how awesome I truly am?" Gilbert jokingly laughed.  
  
"Y-Yes," you lied. In all honesty, that wasn't really the reason why you wanted to meet with the emperor of Ramnyeg. The reason was far more...complicated.  
  
Gilbert turned his head and looked at you, "...You're absolutely horrible at lying."  
  
You heaved a sigh in defeat, "I know."  
  
Gilbert didn't say anything as he waited for you to answer the question again, this time truthfully. You bit the inside of your cheek and alternately shifted your weight between each foot. You were having an internal debate on whether or not you should explain to the silver-haired man. In the end, you decided that it should be okay to talk. "To be honest, Your Majesty, this may be our first meeting in person, but it isn't the first time we talked with each other."  
  
"...We've talked before in my dreams," Gilbert said.  
  
You nodded, confirming this. "Yes, that's true. I am capable of using magic, and one of the magic that I could use is to appear in other people's dreams. I try not to use it as it's a complete invasion of privacy, but I heard your voice."  
  
"My voice?"  
  
"It sounded like you were in so much pain, so I decided to appear before you. From the way you were dressed in that very first dream, I naturally assumed that you were a royal, but that wasn't the reason why I wanted to help you. You seemed kind and wonderful, so..." you trailed off with your explanation. Gilbert already knew the rest of the explanation anyways. You would always appear in his dreams only when the voice from the Black Jewel came to haunt him, and just by talking with you and you alone, that voice would disappear.  
  
"I only found out recently that you were the emperor of Ramnyeg, so when I heard King Francis was looking for someone to hand deliver a message to you, I begged him to let me do it. It was the perfect opportunity for me to meet you. I...I wanted to see you in person at least once."  
  
"I see..." was all that Gilbert had to say.  
  
"I'm sorry," you apologized, "...for barging in on your dreams like that. What's even worse, I kept on doing it...I truly am sorry."  
  
Gilbert shook his head, "No, it's alright. Besides, you always helped me out with that annoying voice. ...I always thought...that you were just some made up person that I made to help get rid of that voice."  
  
You giggled, "But as you can see, I'm perfectly real."  
  
"Yes, I can see that," Gilbert smiled at you. "You really are real...as is this moment."  
  
Without any warning, Gilbert grabbed your arm and pulled you into a tight embrace. He had always wanted to do this in his dreams...but his dreams would always end before he could even touch you, but this moment was real. He could feel your warmth, smell your scent... You stiffened slightly, not knowing how to react, but you found yourself enjoying the feel of yourself against Gilbert's body. You had to go back to the Âge Empire soon, so you decided to savour this moment. You hugged the royal back and smiled.  
  
Even if it was only for a short time, this warmth, this happiness...it's all _real_.


	9. Prussia: Spring (Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff | It all started in spring.**

Surprise rain showers and blooming flowers signaled the arrival of of the spring season. Spring was a nice and easy season. As the cold snow of winter melted away, new buds begun to sprout, and certain animals awoke from their slumber to return to the warm outdoors. Spring was a season for new beginnings. New encounters with new people. A fresh start.  
  
...It all started in spring.  
  
You had just finished shopping for some groceries and were on your way back home. As you walked along the bustling street, you couldn't help but take notice of some buds that had sprouted from a couple of trees; it was something so simple, yet it looked so beautiful that it caused a small smile to appear on your lips.  
  
Today was an incredibly nice day. It had started to warm up the last couple of days, but there was still a certain kind of chill in the air that made the temperature feel _just_ right. You breathed in the fresh air as the sun continued to shine brightly, high in the clear sky. Seeing as how it was such a nice day out, it seemed like such a waste to spend it indoors, so you had decided that once you got home and put the groceries away, you would take a leisurely stroll. With that in mind, you quickened your pace to your house so that you may sooner enjoy the weather to its fullest.  
  
You eventually made your way back home, and as you decided, quickly put the groceries away in their proper spot. As soon as you were finished, you headed towards the washroom to fix yourself up a bit. You didn't do anything too grand with your appearance; you just wanted to make yourself look presentable in case you happened to bump into someone interesting on your walk. Smiling at your reflection, you gave one final, satisfied nod before heading out your door.  
  
Your steps were light with a certain bounce in them as you walked through the streets. Every now and then, you would pass by some friendly people who would greet you, and you would return the greeting. After some time, you decided to take a small break, sitting down on a nearby bench as you let out a small sigh of relief.  
  
"This sure is awesome weather, huh?"  
  
A voice spoke, prompting you to look up towards a young man with light-coloured hair and red eyes. Realizing that he was speaking to you, you nodded in agreement. "It sure is..."  
  
"Mind if I sit here?" the young man asked.  
  
You shook your head and gestured with your hand for the young man to sit. "Please."  
  
A broad grin spread across his face as he plopped himself down to sit beside you. Seeing as you two had already briefly exchanged a comment about the weather, you found it a bit difficult trying to come up with a topic for conversation. Feeling slightly awkward, you discreetly glanced towards the male and found that he didn't seem all that awkward with the situation.  
  
 _"Ah, that's right,"_ you thought, _"I should just enjoy myself..."_  
  
With that final thought, you decided to close your eyes for a bit. It felt so nice with the warmth from the sun pressed against your closed eyelids as the sweet chirping from the returning birds fluttered in the air. It was so calming and relaxing that you slowly found yourself drifting away into a peaceful nap.  
  
After a few minutes or so, your eyelids started to flutter open. You slowly took in your surroundings before remembering that you had decided to take a stroll around before deciding to take a breather at a bench.  
  
"I must've fallen asleep," you muttered to yourself as you rubbed the remaining sleepiness away from your eyes.  
  
"Oh, you're finally awake," a voice chimed, sounding extremely close to you.  
  
You looked up and found your face to be extremely close to the young man that had decided to sit on the bench beside you. Your confused eyes blinked a couple of times before finally coming to the realization that while you were sleeping, you had ended up leaning against the young man as your support.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" you exclaimed, your voice reaching a bit of a higher note than usual as you immediately stood up from your seat.  
  
The young man's eyes widened with surprise at your sudden outburst before he let out a hearty laugh. He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and grinned at you, "It's fine! Don't worry about it."  
  
"H-How long was I asleep for...?" you asked hesitantly.  
  
The male crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side in thought, "Hm...a while."  
  
"How long exactly is 'a while'?" you asked again and began to feel heat slowly rise to your cheeks from sheer embarrassment.  
  
"Quite a while," the young man answered vaguely.  
  
You bit your lips and stitched your eyebrows together as you apologized yet again, "I'm _so_ sorry. Really, I am! I-I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. You should've woken me up; I really wouldn't have mind."  
  
The male shook his head and flashed a bright smile, "Like I said, it's fine. It was pretty awesome having such a cute girl like you use me as a pillow like that, kesesese! People who passed by commented on how cute of a couple we were."  
  
If your face wasn't red before, it most certainly was now. You buried your warm face in your hands as a way to run away from the unpleasant reality of this situation. " _Ohhh my gooosh_ ," you dragged out your muffled words. "I really am so sorry!"  
  
"If you want to make it up to me, how about we do this?" You slowly brought your eyes upwards towards the male, curious as to what it might be that he was suggesting. "You can treat me to some coffee on Saturday, if you're available."  
  
"Th-That's..." you trailed off, feeling a bit hesitant at the suggestion.  
  
The young man gave a small smirk as he spoke, "You did fall asleep on me, and you _were_ sleeping for quite a while. What if I had something scheduled but didn't have the heart to wake you up, thus resulting me in messing up my plans?"  
  
You tensed slightly at the guilt trip this male was giving you, "A-Alright, sure. I'll treat you to coffee this Saturday."  
  
"Awesome!" the young man exclaimed with fervor. "Oh, and don't worry. I didn't have anything planned today. I just wanted to take a walk today since it was such nice weather."  
  
The male then stood up from the bench and fished through his pockets for something. After some slight struggle, he had taken out a piece of paper and pen. He quickly scribbled something on it and handed it towards you—it was his phone number, along with his name, Gilbert. Your lips parted slightly as you looked up towards him.  
  
"I don't have my phone on me right now, so we'll have to do this the old way, if you don't mind. That's my number in case something comes up and you need to contact me. Would it be alright if I got yours?"  
  
"O-Oh, of course," you replied lamely as the young man offered you the pen and another piece of scrap paper in which you wrote down your number and name.  
  
Gilbert took it and glanced at it before folding the piece of paper and securing it in his pocket. "Awesome. Well, I should head home before my brother starts to worry. It was nice meeting you, and I can't wait for our date, [Name]."  
  
The young man then turned on his heel and walked away, leaving you completely dumb-founded. After a while, you snapped yourself back to reality and looked down at the paper in your hands.  
  
 _"Did I just...Did I just get picked up by some guy?"_ you thought to yourself. A small smile of amusement graced your lips which eventually turned into a small laugh. At the very least, it was an interesting guy. _"Gilbert, huh...I guess I'm looking forward to that date too."_


	10. Prussia: Spring (Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Angst | It all ended in spring.**

Your eyes constantly peered outside the window of the cafe that you sat in for a familiar white-haired young man, blocking out the noise of the world. You took out your cell phone, looking over your newly added contact's information before you heaved a sigh. Your eyes then went to look at the time, and the moment you looked up again, you were greeted with the bright red eyes of the young man you were waiting for.  
  
"Were you that excited for our date?" he joked as he sat himself down on the seat across from you.  
  
You puffed your cheeks and replied, "You're pretty early yourself too, Gilbert."  
  
"But you were here before me," Gilbert retorted.  
  
A sigh of defeat escaped your lips before they tugged upwards into a small smile. "Well, as promised, it's my treat today."  
  
Gilbert gave a nod of approval as he went to order a drink and some small snacks for himself; you gave your own order, and as soon as the food and drinks arrived, the two of you dived into a long conversation of just about anything and everything. Since the two of you were just recently acquainted, the conversation never seemed to stop as you two learned more and more about each other.  
  
As time ticked by, you found yourself enjoying the young man's company even more and more. Sure, he might come off as a bit arrogant to you at first, but he was actually really sweet and considerate. Not only that, but he made you laugh like nobody else ever had, and being with him made you feel both happy and anxious at the same time.  
  
"Hey, hey, can I do something real quick?" Gilbert asked suddenly.  
  
You looked up at him curiously. "Huh? Oh, um...sure, I guess."  
  
"Awesome!"  
  
The young man then got up from his seat, your eyes following him as he took out his cell phone from his pocket and quickly took a picture beside you. You blinked in surprise before reaching for the phone, except Gilbert had extremely quick reflexes.  
  
"Delete it!" you exclaimed, your cheeks flaring. You hated getting your picture taken by surprise like that.  
  
Gilbert sat back down at his seat. "Why? It looks awesome!"  
  
He then turned the phone's screen towards you, showing the picture he just recently took. You looked at it and were ready to criticize everything about yourself, but then you realized it actually didn't look that bad. In fact, it looked a bit cute. A bit embarrassing, but cute.  
  
"Hmph," you gave a small pout as you crossed your arms over your chest. "Fine. Keep it."  
  
"Kesese~"  
  
Eventually, time ran out for the two of you, and it was time to part ways. Gilbert had offered to walk you home, but you had declined. You were still feeling very nervous and embarrassed around the young man, and you felt as though you needed some time by yourself to calm down, but even so, you ended up accepting his offer of going on another date.

* * *

It's been a while since you and Gilbert had that first date. It was a lot of fun, and so, you almost immediately accepted his offer of another one. This time, the two of you were more familiar with each other, but it seemed like an entirely new experience for the both of  you, and it felt like you two were meeting for the first time, even if you really weren't.  
  
Both you and Gilbert decided to spend some time strolling through a park. It was still spring after all, and the scenery looked so beautiful. The two of you had some days off, so you ended up making the date last much longer than your first one as the sun was slowly starting to set, colouring the sky with various shades of warm colours.  
  
"The sky looks so pretty," you commented in awe.  
  
"Not as pretty as you though, kesesese," Gilbert replied.  
  
You lightly punched his arm as heat rose to your cheeks. He always did make some smooth comments like that; you didn't hate it, but it did take some time getting used to. Your eyes glanced downwards towards your shadows. Gilbert's hand was empty, as was yours. While still watching your shadows, you hesitantly reached out your hand. Just as you were mere centimetres away from holding Gilbert's hand, you paused. Your fingers curled slightly before slowly bringing them back down. However, before your hand got a chance to reach your side again, it was encased in warmth.  
  
You jumped slightly from surprise from the suddenness, bringing yourself to look up towards the young man. He beamed, his smile matching the warmth and brightness of the setting sun. "If you wanted to hold hands, you could've just asked."  
  
You opened your mouth to speak but quickly shut it. At times like these, you realized it would be best to just leave things as is and to just enjoy the moment. You found yourself closing your eyes, admiring the warmth of Gilbert's hand with yours. Your grip tightened slightly, as though wanting to make sure that this was real. Gilbert squeezed your hand back, affirming you that he was there with you, and you with him.

* * *

Days and weeks passed by, and you found yourself enjoying Gilbert's company even more and more, and before you realized it, you had fallen in love with him. You decided to confess. Even if the two of  you already seemed to be acting like boyfriend and girlfriend, it felt weird to not actually have said those words.  
  
"I like you too."  
  
You didn't even get to finish your confession. You were stumbling so much with it, that Gilbert had to cut in, saying that he felt the same.  
  
"N-No, that's not fair! I have to say it too!" you shouted, suddenly feeling very motivated.  
  
Gilbert laughed, patting your head. "Alright, alright."  
  
"I-I...I like you."  
  
Following that confession was a collection of "first experiences". First embrace. First time visiting each other's house. First time meeting relatives. First kiss...  
  
It all started in spring. Meeting Gilbert that day on that bench in spring, sprouting new buds of romance. It was the start of encountering new people. Going through new experiences. Making new beautiful and wonderful memories.  
  
Unfortunately, fate decided to be cruel.  
  
It had been an entire year since you and Gilbert met each other. The day of your anniversary of first meeting each other had just recently passed. It was supposed to signal the start of another year of more fun-filled memories, but life wouldn't have it that way.  
  
It was raining really hard that day. It was rather sudden as the rain was supposed to come in much later in the night, but the weather was whimsical like that. You were walking home from a previous affair you had to deal with in the day, and so you were going to return home but ended up getting caught in the rain.  
  
...That wasn't the only thing you got caught in.  
  
Gilbert got the news not too long after your family. Upon receiving the news, the young man wasted no time at all getting to the hospital. When he arrived, accompanied by his older brother, you were already inside with medical staff working to keep you alive, and Gilbert had no choice but to anxiously wait outside.  
  
The wait was absolutely agonizing. The young man paced back and forth, his eyebrows stitched together in worry. He refused to say a word, and his sibling could only sit there and watch over him. If only the long wait was worth the news afterwards.  
  
_"I'm sorry."_  
  
He didn't want to hear those words. More than anything, Gilbert refused to accept those words and the reality they brought with them. You were no longer here. Despite how hard Gilbert wished it or denied it, the reality was that you were dead. Gone from his life.  
  
The days following after the news left Gilbert numb. All his actions were automatic and every day was a struggle for him. At some point, Gilbert gave up on even leaving his room. His brother and his friends tried to offer comfort and the like, but they fell on deaf ears.  
  
_"Who knew?"_ Gilbert thought bitterly. _"Who knew that everything could come crashing down at a single moment's notice?"_  
  
The young man lay on his bed in solitude. The only thing to keep him company was the sound of falling rain outside and the ticking of the clock. Heaving a sigh, Gilbert reached for his phone. His eyes quickly gazed over the number of missed notifications from concerned friends.  
  
Without much thought, the young man scrolled down his contacts to yours. He stared intently at your contact information, his jaw clenching as his vision blurred. He then pressed a few more buttons, and he was now left with scrolling through the pictures on his phone.  
  
There was that picture he took on your first date when you treated him to coffee. There was that picture he took of you admiring the sunset on that second date of yours. There was that picture of you and Gilbert snuggling together while watching the movies with some friends when his brother secretly took the shot. As he scrolled through the pictures, memories of the previous year filled his mind.  
  
Then, without meaning to, Gilbert let out a choked sob. He buried his face in his pillows, feeling far too heavy to lift them up again. After what seemed like a long time, the young man had found himself feeling numb once more. He slowly got up, not caring about how he looked. He needed some fresh air.  
  
Opening the door of his dark room, Gilbert had to spend some time to have his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the hallway. Even if the brightness hadn't changed at all, the young man had spent so much time inside his room with the lights turned off that what was normal for him ended up becoming painful. His eyes looked downwards towards a tray of food beside the door, left behind by his concerned sibling.  
  
Heaving another sigh, Gilbert shut the door behind him and headed outside, not even bothering to take an umbrella with him. He didn't care. Almost nothing fazed him by this point.  
  
The young man aimlessly wandered around the nearly empty streets. Without even realizing it, he found himself walking through places the two of you spent time together, and soon enough, he found yourself at that spot that started everything.  
  
He sat down, letting out a deep sigh as he did so. Gilbert stared idly ahead, a bitter smile tugging upwards at his lips at how simple everything started and how simple everything ended.  
  
"That's just not fair," Gilbert muttered to himself, clenching his hands into fists.  
  
He felt as though there was a weight on him. Before, it was your weight on him as you slept against him on that spring day, but when Gilbert looked to the side, it was just an empty space. The weight he felt was the weight of losing you. You were no longer there with him.  
  
It all started in spring. Those enjoyable and amazing days full of wonder. Those countless nights spent awake, just to spend another second to talk with each other.  
  
...And it all ended in spring.


	11. Prussia: You're Awesome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff |Gilbert thinks you’re a pretty awesome person.**

"Kesesesese, I'm so awesome!" Gilbert laughed as he watched the stone he just threw hit some unsuspecting person at a far distance. The silver-haired man clutched his stomach as he started laughing much more hysterically when his target looked around confused, wondering where the hell that rock came from.

"Ahhh, that was awesome," Gilbert commented once he had calmed down.

You were sitting under the shade of a huge tree, reading a book. You sighed and flipped the page while dryly replying to the man standing beside you, "Yes it was."

Gilbert glanced down at you with a disapproving look at how you didn't even look at what he did. It saddened the albino man a bit as he was trying to impress you. He unconsciously petted the small bird perched on his shoulder as he asked you, "What are you reading anyways?"

"A book," you answered simply as your eyes continued to scan the page.

"Oh, really?" Gilbert replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Tch, you're so boring."

"Then why are you here?" you asked, taking your eyes of the book for a moment to look up at the male, "If I'm so boring, then why are you still here? You could leave you know. I don't mind being alone; I'm sure you wouldn't want to hang out with someone like me anyways..."

You didn't mean to say that last part and you mentally cursed as you turned your attention back to the book in front of you, hoping that Gilbert didn't hear it. Unfortunately, Gilbert did catch it, but he decided not to say anything for the time being. He placed his hands behind his head and shrugged, answering your question. "Everyone else is busy."

"I see..." you sounded bored, as if you didn't care at all about this conversation, or rather, you were still sulking about how you had let that one sentence out when you didn't mean to.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two of you as you guys had nothing else to say. Growing bored of the book, you slammed it shut and sighed, leaning back on the trunk of the tree behind you. You stared at the blue sky above you and watched the fluffy, white clouds lazily fly by. A small breeze blew and you smiled. Everything seemed so peaceful. Your eyes slowly closed as you relished in the tranquility of the moment.

Gilbert stared at you for a moment, admiring the peaceful expression on your face. He didn't want to admit it, but he had started to fall in love with you. He didn't know when, why, or how; he just did. When the two of you first met, the very first thing you said to him was, "You are awesome." A small smile made its way to Gilbert's lips as he remembered that day.

You were hanging out with Feliciano, Kiku, and Ludwig, or rather, you were trying to tease Ludwig. Ludwig seemed so big and buff to you, that you couldn't help but try to find a different side to his strong self. Unfortunately, you were unsuccessful in your attempts and just when you were about to give up on trying to make the man blush, Gilbert came. He hadn't seen you at first, so he was chatting happily with the three guys and said something that made Ludwig all flustered.

You couldn't help but stare in shock on how Gilbert was able to easily embarrass Ludwig while you had been making attempts for weeks, and yet you still hadn't been able to get even a small blush out of the guy. You decided that that guy right there was awesome, so of course, you walked up to him and stated it.

"You. Are. Awesome."

Gilbert stopped talking to the others and finally noticed you. He grinned widely as he replied, "I know I am!"

You blinked a couple of times before laughing and smiling. You held out your hand and introduced yourself, "I'm [Name]."

Ever since then, the two of you always hung out with each other. It wasn't awkward at all like your usual first encounters with others. It was an immediate friendship that the both of you were comfortable with. However, little by little, you started to like Gilbert that was beyond that of friendship, and without you knowing, it was the same for Gilbert.

You opened your eyes just a crack when you heard someone sit down beside you. You couldn't help but smile that it was none other than the silver-haired male. He sat criss-crossed on the grass with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Before...when you said that I wouldn't want to hang out with someone like you...what did you mean by that?" Gilbert asked curiously. He had tried to sound compassionate, but his voice ended up sounding gruff.

You shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "I don't know. I mean, you're awesome. ...I'm not."

"Who said that you weren't awesome?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

Once more, you shrugged, "No one I guess. I just...know that I'm not awesome."

You lightly bit your lower lip as you compared yourself to the albino. He was so confident in himself to the point of being completely arrogant, but at least he had confidence where you had almost none. You hated yourself. You hated how you looked, how you acted towards certain things and certain people, but over all, you hated being so insecure. Whenever someone complimented you, you would always deny it. This low self-esteem of yours made it hard for you to make friends with other people, but when you did make friends, they always loved you for who you were.

"Well, I think you're pretty awesome," Gilbert said once you became quiet. "I mean, you're the only one to make the awesome me fall in love!"

Your head snapped towards the silver-haired man when he said that.

"Kesesese, ich liebe dich, [Name]!" Gilbert confessed to you, looking straight at your eyes. You stared right back, completely captivated on how those crimson eyes showed so much truth and emotion.

"I-I..." you stuttered, trying to return the confession, but the words got caught in your throat.

Gilbert merely grinned as he slung his arm around you, bringing you much closer to him, "I know the answer already. I mean, how could anyone resist the awesome me?"

You couldn't help but giggle, "But I still want to say it, otherwise it'd just feel weird. I...I love you."

The albino's grin widened and his grip on you tightened a bit. "Good! Listen; don't go around sulking and thinking that you're not that good, because I dub you awesome."

"And that's good enough for me," you smiled.

Gilbert laughed, "Kesesese, good answer! Of course, you're not as awesome as me, but you're pretty close."

"You're so arrogant," you laughed as you jokingly punched the silver-haired man's arm.

"But you still love me," Gilbert said, grinning cheekily. You merely laughed, resting your head upon the albino's chest. Your eyes slowly closed, admiring the feel of being in Gilbert's arms.

"This is pretty awesome."


	12. S.Italy/Romano: Cowardly Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff |Lovino has a difficult time confessing his feelings for you.**

_BAM!_  
  
The noise was so loud and sudden that it caused the cheerful Italian to drop his fork of pasta and jump from his seat. He looked over worriedly at the one who made the startling noise—his brother. Romano had banged his head hard on the table (it sounded like it hurt a lot too) and was now muttering a string of curses in Italian.  
  
"Ve~ _Fratello_ , what's wrong?" Veneziano asked his older sibling.  
  
"I can't do it," was the muffled response.  
  
Veneziano tilted his head to the side while wearing a confused expression. "Can't do what...?"  
  
"I can't confess to that _ragazza_!" Romano exclaimed, standing up abruptly causing the wooden chair he was previously sitting on to fall and clatter on the floor.  
  
"Which _ragazza_?"  
  
Romano remained quiet for a few seconds before mumbling your name. Veneziano's face lit up almost instantly once he heard it, and he grinned widely.  
  
"Ve~! So _fratello_ likes [Name] after all!" Veneziano cheered, raising his arms up high as though in celebration. He then slowly brought them down and the confused expression crept back to his face. "Oh, but you said you can't confess to her...why?"  
  
"I don't know!" Romano groaned, burying his face into his hands. "I tried writing letters, sending e-mails, but something wrong always seems to happen!"  
  
Indeed, Romano attempted many times to tell you his true feelings, but they all ended in complete failures. Romano's first attempt was to write a letter. It had taken him days to write one that he was fully satisfied with, and his trash bin was filled to the brim with crumpled pieces of paper once he finished the final copy. Unfortunately, Veneziano ended up accidentally throwing away the letter that his sibling worked so hard on. Apparently the window was open and a strong breeze blew it to the trash bin, making it fall in with the rest of the rejects.  
  
The second attempt, Romano wrote another letter, but he decided to change things up a bit and make it much more interesting. He wrote the letter again and folded it neatly into a paper airplane. The Italian then threw it in the air and watched it glide; however, Romano's aim was completely off mark. The paper airplane ended up flying towards France instead! Needless to say, Romano immediately dashed out of there and had to reluctantly ask Spain to fix the misunderstanding.  
  
Romano's patience was wearing thin by the third attempt. He was absolutely confident that this time things would work out this time though; after all, the saying does go _"Third time's the charm"_. That saying was wrong. Romano decided to type up an e-mail rather than write another letter. It was less fussy and more 'eco-friendly' than using paper. Everything was perfect and things were going smoothly until the Internet crashed, and it hasn't been fixed yet.  
  
"Why not just tell her in person?" Veneziano asked matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh wow! I didn't think of that!" Romano replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, but the younger Italian was completely oblivious.  
  
Veneziano wore a huge grin on his face, thinking that he was able to say something smart and useful to his brother's predicament, but he later found out that he was completely off as Romano roughly grabbed his shoulders and yelled at him.  
  
"You don't think I considered that you _bastardo_?! Of course I did! But I just can't do it! My words get caught in my throat whenever she smiles at me which is pretty much all the time, and I can't look at her properly without my face getting red like a tomato, and...and... _CHIGI_! Dammit! I can't do it!"  
  
Romano lightened his grip on his brother and then let go. He stared hard at the floor, his face red from embarrassment and rage, and tears threatened to fall from his disappointed eyes. Romano's shoulders shifted up and down in pattern as he tried to regain his breath after his long rant.  
  
" _Fratello_ , I'm sure you could do it!" Veneziano encouraged his brother, "You just need some confidence!"  
  
"...Enough. I'm going to sleep now," Romano replied, pushing past by his younger brother and heading towards his room.  
  
The tsundere Italian shut the door tightly behind him and flopped down on his soft and inviting bed. He hugged his pillow and heaved a sigh. _"Tomorrow..."_ he thought, _"I'll try confessing to her tomorrow."_

* * *

You were sitting under the shade of a big oak tree, sketching random things in your notebook. You were so focused on your sketching that you almost didn't notice the footsteps that approached you. You heard someone clear their throat which prompted you to look up from your notebook, and a smile graced your lips upon seeing who it was.  
  
"Hello Romano," you greeted the hotheaded Italian.  
  
"Hey _ragazza_ ," Romano returned the greeting, albeit a bit awkwardly.  
  
"What's up?" you asked curiously, setting your notebook down on the grass and giving the Italian your full attention.  
  
Romano's eyes travelled to your notebook, then back to you, then to the grass. You scrunched your eyebrows together in worry as Romano had difficulty trying to form a sentence.  
  
"Listen [Name], I-I love...I lo-love...I-I-I love..." Romano stumbled on his words and his face was heating up a significant amount.  
  
As the Italian in front of you tried to form his sentence, you couldn't help but feel your heart start beating faster and your cheeks heat up as well. Was he finally confessing to you? You've been friends with Romano for a long time, and you slowly found yourself falling for him. You wanted to tell him how you felt, but you were too much of a coward.  
  
"I really...I love...that drawing of yours. You're really talented," Romano managed to finally say out loud.  
  
"Oh..." your face fell and you felt your heart shatter once he said those words. They weren't really what you were expecting. You immediately put a smile back on your face, but it was strained. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."  
  
Romano nodded, not bothering to make any further comments. He then lifted his right hand as though gesturing a goodbye and then turned on his heel. You picked your notebook up again and let out a dejected sigh as the Italian continued to walk away from you.  
  
Romano was walking away from you when he spotted Veneziano hiding in the bushes a fair distance away. Veneziano made gestures with his hand as though telling him to go back and try again. Romano stopped walking and took a deep breath. He swiftly turned around again and straightened his shoulders. He walked back to you with quick strides. You were already resuming your sketching when Romano suddenly blurted out the words you've wanted to hear for a long time.  
  
"Okay, that wasn't what I meant to say! I mean, yeah, I do like your drawing; I meant that, but I meant to say something else! What I meant to say what that I love you! There! I said it! Are you happy now?!"  
  
There was nothing but silence between the two of you now. Romano's face started heating up again once more, and your cheeks were just as red as Romano's beloved tomatoes. Just then, a small giggle escaped your lips, and it wasn't long before it turned into a loud laugh.  
  
"Wh-What are you laughing at?!" Romano asked, crossing his arms together over his chest.  
  
"So-Sorry, it's just that...I've always wanted to have you tell me that you love me, but I honestly didn't expect the 'are you happy now' part at the end!" you answered, wiping the tears from your eyes. "Yet for some reason, I'm not that surprised!"  
  
Romano pouted which you found to be undeniably cute, and you smiled at him. You then flipped through the pages of your notebook, trying to find a specific page. Romano watched you closely until you found what you were looking for. You shyly showed it to the Italian, and his eyes lit up instantaneously. It was a picture that you had drawn of Romano and yourself holding hands, smiling at each other. At the bottom were the words _"Ti amo, Romano"_.  
  
" _Idiota_ ," he scoffed, though held a tone of happiness in it, "If you loved me, you could've told me in person instead of making a cowardly confession like this."


	13. S.Italy/Romano: Everything's Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort |Everything just seems to be going wrong, so Lovino tries to cheer you up.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written in First POV

I lay in my bed, staring hard at the ceiling before me. My eyes briefly glance towards the alarm clock. It's already 3:00AM and I'm still wide awake. I'll have to get up in three and a half hours for school too. I wonder if I'll be able to survive the day. It's been four nights in a row that I've had difficulty falling asleep. I mean, I'm tired and everything, but sleep continues to evade me. There's just too much on my mind right now, and my shoulders and heart feel weighted.  
  
I turn to my side for the umpteenth time and pull the covers closer to my chin. My eyelids close themselves, but I don’t actually fall asleep. Everything...Everything's just bothering me right now. My grandmother's in the hospital and my mom refuses to tell me any more than that; my siblings got into a quarrel recently and still refuse to talk to each other; my dad's sick but he's still forcing himself to go to work. ...And then there's school. I have so many assignments due; I feel as though my friends are leaving me; and all those clubs I've joined are starting to stress me out.  
  
I feel something moist trail down my face, and I realize I'm crying...again. I quickly wipe it away with the back of my hand and sniffle.  
  
 _"Fuck this shit!"_  
  
I threw my covers off of me and walked over to my desk. My hands groped around in the dark for my cell phone. When I finally found it, I turned it on and then went back to lie down on my bed. I went to the Notes function and started writing a story to hopefully take my mind off of things.

* * *

Fortunately for me, I was able to get at least two hours of sleep before my alarm woke me up. I didn't want to get up, but I knew that I had to, so I reluctantly did so. I went through my usual morning routine and eventually found myself waiting at the bus stop. My earphones are inside my ears and I'm listening to [fav. song] while waiting for the bus. While I'm waiting, I couldn't help but feel my chest tighten. I really don't want to go to school. I don't want to go through another day. I just want to stay at home in bed doing nothing without a single care in the world, but that's impossible. People have told me many times before that I care too much. I caught sight of the bus just turning the corner, and I sling my backpack over my shoulder and braced myself for yet another day in school. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through without breaking down in front of my friends.

* * *

I make it to school with ten minutes to spare until the bell rings. My hand lazily turns the dial on my lock and then proceeds to open my locker. I was organizing myself when someone hugged my shoulders from behind.  
  
"Veh~ Good morning _bella_ ~" Feliciano, my friend, greeted me.  
  
I turned around and smiled towards the cheery Italian. He almost always seemed to brighten up my days, but I rarely got to see him since we didn't have any classes together.  
  
"Good morning. And good morning Lovino," I greeted Feliciano's older brother who was accompanying him. He greeted me back with a simple 'good morning' and nothing else.  
  
"How was your weekend?" Feliciano asked me.  
  
"Pretty good," I lied. In truth, I felt like total crap the past few days, but I didn't want to worry the Italian.  
  
Feliciano grinned, completely oblivious to my lie, "That's good to hear!"  
  
The conversation however was cut short when Feliciano spotted Ludwig, a good friend of his, just a fair distance away. Feliciano was quick to say goodbye to me and scampered to the blond student. It was only then that I realize Lovino's intense stare.  
  
"Is something wrong?" I asked him.  
  
"I should be asking you that, _ragazza_ ," Lovino replied, "Have you been crying?"  
  
I was taken a bit by surprise for Lovino to have realized that, but I quickly regained myself. I shook my head and gave a playful laugh, "Of course not! What makes you say that? Lovino, you must be tired."  
  
"Maybe..." Lovino answered, but he didn't sound convinced.  
  
I turned my back to him as I continued to gather my belongings. While I was doing that, I made sure to make a mental note to try harder to wipe away the evidence of my tears in the morning.  
  
"So, what did you do over the weekend?" I asked, trying to change the subject.  
  
Lovino shrugged, "Not much...just slept and ate all day. What about you?"  
  
 _"Complain about life to no one in particular."_  
  
A small laugh escaped my lips, "The same, except you could add drawing and writing to the list."  
  
Lovino smiled as I shut my locker door and locked it. I pulled on my lock for good measure and started walking around the school with Lovino following behind me.  
  
"What kind of things have you been drawing-slash-writing?" Lovino asked.  
  
I merely shrugged as I brought my books closer to my chest, "Eh, just stuff."  
  
Just then, the five minutes warning bell rung and students started picking up the pace at their lockers. I look over to Lovino who isn't carrying anything at all. He saw my inquisitive look and merely shrugged, as if he didn't really care, but he waved goodbye as he turned on his heel, heading towards the direction of his locker. I let out a tired sigh and joined the sea of students who briskly walked to their class.

* * *

My first three periods were absolutely boring. We honestly didn't do much. For business, we worked on spreadsheets; for French, we reviewed _les pronoms relatifs_ ; and for Computer Science, we watched the movie, _The Social Network_.  
  
When the bell signalling the end of third period rung, I was quick to gather up my books and leave the class. I honestly didn't want to stay in the classroom that long, especially since I had lunch now. As usual, I was one of the first people to arrive in the cafeteria, and I took my seat at the usual table. My hands reached into my pocket and grabbed hold of my cell phone. I quickly navigated my way through to Notes and resumed writing my story from last night.  
  
 _”Dodgeball. It was one of your favourite sports/games you enjoyed playing in gym class. You were good at dodging; you were decent with catching; but you absolutely sucked at aiming. You were almost always completely off target.  
  
To your surprise, you had found yourself being the very last member standing on your team, but the other team only had one member left as well. So it should be okay, right? Nope, of course not, because the person you were up against was Vash Zwingli.  
  
Vash was well known for many things; one of them being having a killer aim. You mentally cursed your bad luck for—_  
  
I was so engrossed in my story that I didn't realize somebody had taken the seat across from me.  
  
"[Name]!"  
  
My head quickly snapped upwards and I see Lovino sitting there with his lunch (which was pizza by the way) in front of him. It looked like he had been trying to catch my attention for a while now. I flash him an embarrassed smile as I quickly saved my work and slid the cell phone back in my pocket, giving Lovino my full, undivided attention.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Lovino asked, concern lacing his voice as he took a bite out of his lunch. "You seem distracted. Like whenever I try to say hi to you in the hallways, you never even noticed me."  
  
"O-Oh, is that true?" I asked sheepishly.  
  
"Yes!" Lovino exclaimed, "And because of that, I look like a complete fucking _idiota_!"  
  
You cringed slightly from the change of volume. "Sorry," I apologized to him. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."  
  
The two of us were silent, but the excited chatter of the cafeteria continued. I look down from him; his gaze is just too much for me to handle, and I eventually end up self-consciously picking my nails.  
  
"...So, what's on your mind?" Lovino asked me after a painfully excruciating silence between the two of us.  
  
I shook my head. Lovino was my best friend—though I'll admit I want our relationship to be more than that—and I trust him, but...I couldn't. I just couldn’t bring myself to pour out all of my emotions onto him. What if I ended up bothering him? I heaved a sigh and shook my head again. "It's nothing much to worry about really," I answered him.  
  
Lovino examined me before slowly nodding, deciding to not push the issue any further. However, I could tell from his expression and determined eyes that he wasn't fully done with me yet. My heart dropped a bit; I was expecting a bit of more questioning from him, but he gave up rather easily. Maybe I was just hoping for too much... ****

* * *

**Lovino's P.o.V.**  
  
I saw [Name] sigh again. How many times has she sighed already in this one day? It's far too many for me to count, which is why it's so obvious that something's bugging her. Why the fucking hell won't she tell me?! Doesn't she trust me? My body tensed slightly from the anger that I felt at myself for being so useless. I really can't do anything to make [Name] happy. Feliciano's far better than this than I am...  
  
"[Name], do you have a meeting after school today?" I asked her. If she won't tell me at school, then I'll just ask her when the two of us are alone.  
  
[Name] nodded, "Yeah. I have to go to Yearbook; it's mandatory since the deadline's coming up and we haven't done much."  
  
Damn. So maybe not today..."What about tomorrow?"  
  
"I have Student Council," she answered, "We're setting up the decorations for the dance on Friday."  
  
"So I guess you'll be busy on Friday as well?" I continued to ask.  
  
"Yeah, as much as I really don't want to go, Student Council has to be there," [Name] answered.  
  
I could hear the annoyance and irritation in her voice, but it melted away when she asked me why I was so curious.  
  
"Just wondering," I answered vaguely, shrugging my shoulders. I guess I'll just have to surprise her at her house today; I won't let her run away from this that easily.  
  
"There's my little tomato~!"  
  
I groaned as Antonio walked up towards us. The Spaniard started talking to me, and [Name] had taken out her cell phone again. Antonio and I had a very long conversation during the entire period, but every now and then, I would glance towards [Name]. She looked so...lonely. Was it because I was talking to Antonio and she didn't have anyone else to talk to?  
  
Eventually, I glance towards the time, and that's when I realize that lunch period's almost over. [Name]'s already gathering her stuff and getting up. I quickly finish eating my pizza and get up as well. I decided to walk [Name] to class in hopes of getting her to talk.

* * *

I honestly don't understand why the fuck [Name] goes through this hellish hallway. It's one of the high traffic areas in the school where everyone travels in packs and stops abruptly in the middle of the halls to reply to a text and all that other shit. [Name] didn't seem to mind though as she easily maneuvered her way through the sea of students while I had a bit of difficulty keeping up with her.  
  
"So what exactly are you doing in fourth period?" I asked [Name] as we neared her classroom.  
  
"We have this assignment where we have to make either a comic or a video, and...Yeah."  
  
Well, that wasn't really much information that she gave me, but she looked too tired to explain any further. Her eyes look so worn out and tired. That usual bright smile that I love to see on her has been replaced with empty ones, and her laughs seemed strained and forced. I swear, this is pissing me off...seeing her so upset, yet she acts like everything's perfectly fine when it obviously isn't! My hands ball up into fists, but [Name]'s too preoccupied with her thoughts to realize. Ah, screw this shit.  
  
I waved goodbye to [Name] before turning on my heel and speed walking to Feliciano's classroom. My footsteps were light and quick as I made my way to the Hospitality class.  
  
"Veh, _fratello_ , what's wro—" I didn't even give my brother a chance to complete his sentence.  
  
"I have to go somewhere after school," I explained, "So just go on ahead without me, alright? Alright."  
  
I didn't get to hear his response as I swiftly left the classroom and starting heading towards my own class. I went over my plan in my head repeatedly. First, I would head over to [Name]'s place and wait for her to come home since she has a meeting. After that, I'll force her to tell me what's bothering her. I nodded my head; my plan was absolutely fool proof.

* * *

Finally, fourth period was over, thus concluding the school day. I speedily gathered my books and headed towards my lockers. Fortunately, Antonio and his annoying friends weren't there, so I was able to make it out of school much faster than the usual time if they were there.  
  
I eventually found myself standing in front of [Name]'s door. I hesitated with knocking on the door; I had started to get second thoughts, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else at the time. Taking a deep breath, I rapped on the door and waited patiently for it to open. A kind looking woman answered the door. It was [Name]'s mother.  
  
"Oh, Lovino!" she sounded surprised.  
  
I was surprised myself. It surprised me on how she remembered my name even though I've only visited [Name]'s house once, and I didn't even talk that much to her mother.  
  
"I'm sorry, [Name]'s still at school," [Name]'s mother apologized to me.  
  
"I know," I answered her. She shot me a puzzling look and I continued, "Would it be alright if I waited for her inside?"  
  
"Most certainly," the woman smiled as she opened the door wider, gesturing for me to come inside.  
  
I nervously and awkwardly did so. Then, [Name]'s mother started asking me if I'd like anything to eat and all that jazz. I had turned down the offer. I felt far too awkward at the house to accept any free food at the moment. I then started heading towards [Name]'s room. When I entered, I was greeted with a semi-messy room. Her bed was made and no clothes were strewn on the floor, but her desk was full of clutter.  
  
Even though there was a TV and laptop in [Name]'s room, I really didn't want to touch anything without her permission, so there wasn't much to do. My feet made their way over to [Name]'s bed and I sat down. All I had to do now was wait patiently. In that time, I rehearsed in my mind what I was going to say to [Name]. ****

* * *

**2nd Person P.o.V.**  
  
You breathed out a blissful sigh upon entering your household. You were glad to be back home after such a long and tiring day. You set your backpack on the floor, deciding to do your homework after you finished resting for a few minutes.  
  
"Oh, [Name], I thought I should tell you...Lovino's here waiting in your room," your mother informed you, winking playfully. Your mother was very supportive on you getting a boyfriend, and since you talked about Lovino a lot at home, she was quick to assume that you held feelings for him.  
  
"...What?" you asked incredulously after a moment of silence. " _What?!_ " you repeated, a bit louder than before as you ran up the stairs to your room. You practically kicked the door open, startling the Italian male who lay on your bed.  
  
"[Name]!" Lovino exclaimed sounding a bit surprised as though it was his room that you had barged into, which you found utterly ridiculous.  
  
"What are you doing here?" you asked, trying to mask the disbelief in your voice. That was impossible.  
  
Lovino stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest as he stared hard at you, "We need to talk."  
  
"About what?" you raised a curious eyebrow, but you knew exactly where this conversation was going, much to your dismay. You shut the door behind you as you sat on your bed, beside Lovino. The two of you turned and adjusted yourselves so that you were comfortable and were able to face each other.  
  
"Tell me what's going on," Lovino ordered you.  
  
"It's nothing. Nothing's going on," you lied guiltily. You never liked lying, especially to Lovino.  
  
The male shook his head, "That's not true [Name], and both you and I know it! Tell me what's going on!"  
  
"It's nothing!" you repeated, your voice growing louder alongside Lovino's.  
  
"Don't lie to me! I know that something's bothering you! What is it? Don't you trust me?!" Lovino had started to yell at you, causing you to cringe slightly.  
  
You scoffed before replying with the same loud volume as the Italian, "Of course I do!"  
  
"Then fucking tell me!" Lovino insisted.  
  
"Fine!" you yelled, throwing your hands up in defeat, "You want to know what's bothering me? It's fucking life! My grandmother's in the hospital and my mom won't tell me anything else, my siblings are fighting to the point that they started to despise seeing each other's faces, my dad's obviously stressed out and I feel guilty since I'm asking so much from him, school's been a fucking bitch, I have all these assignments I have to do, I feel lonely in pretty much all of my classes because I feel like all my friends are leaving me, and _you_!" You took a sharp inhale before continuing. "You cause me so many problems because there are times when I think you only see me as a friend, and I hate it! It tears me apart because it's so obvious that _I like you but you haven't realized it_!!"  
  
...  
  
 _Silence._  
  
...  
  
The two of you stared at each other, completely stunned as you tried to process what you had just said. You just confessed in a fit of rage to the guy you've been crushing on for a while now. Still, you decided to play it cool.  
  
"There, I told you what was bothering me!" you harrumphed, crossing your arms over your chest while avoiding looking at Lovino's face. "Now leave me alone!"  
  
You bit your lip as you felt tears start to form in your eyes, but you held them back. Not now. You couldn't show any weakness now. Then, to your surprise, you felt Lovino wrap his arms around you. You sat frozen in your spot, tensing slightly before relaxing yourself. You breathed in his scent and let out a shaky breath. His arms were so warm and comforting that you could lose yourself in them.  
  
" _Idiota_ ," Lovino whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine, "I will never leave you alone. Ever."  
  
Another shaky breath escaped your lips as you hugged the Italian as well, biting back your tears.  
  
"It's okay," Lovino cooed into your ear, "You can cry. I won't tell anyone, and I won't laugh. ...I'm here now."  
  
That one simple sentence was what made you break down. Everything. All of those tears that you've been fighting back for the last few days...you finally let them all out. All the while, Lovino continued to hold you close to him as you sobbed onto his shirt.  
  
Once you had calmed down and was nothing more than just a sniffling mess, you thanked Lovino. You felt so much lighter and relieved. You blew your nose into a Kleenex and breathed out a sigh of relief and for the first time in a while, you genuinely smiled. This caused Lovino to blush slightly due to the fact that it was him who helped bring back that beautiful smile. Lovino tenderly wiped away your remaining tears with his thumbs.  
  
"By the way...I sort-of-kind-of-really like you too," he mumbled quietly, but you still heard it.  
  
The moment those words left the male's lips, you couldn't help but grin like an idiot. You hugged the Italian when he wasn't expecting it. It was so abrupt and sudden that Lovino wasn't able to catch himself in time, causing the two of you to fall back on the bed. You let out a light laugh before closing your eyelids and finally being able to fall asleep peacefully without a single care in the world.  
  
As long as Lovino was with you, then everything would be alright.


	14. S.Italy/Romano: Interesting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff/Friendship |Life is pretty boring, until…**

You were always a dreamer. _Always._ Ever since you were little, you enjoyed watching movies, watching TV shows, playing video games, and reading books to escape from reality. You loved magic and surreal things, sometimes wishing that you lived in those worlds and not the mundane life that you led. You frequently read stories of heroic feats, magical fantasies, sweet romance, and so much more; you wrote as many stories like those too.  
  
However, just because you dreamed doesn't mean that you were always spaced out or stuff like that. No, in fact, you were actually pretty smart as well as perceptive of how others felt, and you knew when to pay attention. It was just that reality bored you. All those amazing stories, shows, and games just seemed so... _exciting_. You wanted that excitement in your life. You've heard your elders say that 'life is what you make of it' and that 'every day is an adventure; you just have to make it happen', and you've tried to make the best of life—really, you did! It just seemed so useless though. You figured your life would never compare to the stories from the countless media you were so deep in.  
  
It was lunch time at school, and you weren't that starving at all. Time seemed to pass by slowly, and you completely bored out of your mind, so you grabbed your bag and took out a book that you were reading, opening it to the page where you had last left off.  
  
You were completely hooked on the novel even though you just had started. You were at a part where a newly-turned ten-year-old named Jenna was celebrating her birthday with her family, but there was an interruption. It turns out that the Supreme Custodian found out that Jenna was a princess and must go to safekeeping before the assassin could—  
  
"Reading again?" you heard a familiar voice ask as your book was pried away from your hands.  
  
You whipped around, glaring at the albino that you surprisingly called your friend. "Give it back Gilbert," you demanded, extending your hand outwards, waiting for him to place the book back in your hands.  
  
Gilbert read a few lines and then shot you a quizzical look before tossing the book back to you. He buried his hands in his pant pockets. "I don't get why you read so much. Actually, it's not just read...you write, play games, and watch _way_ too much."  
  
"Is that a problem?" you asked, raising an eyebrow. You placed the book back in your bag; since Gilbert was here, there was no way you would be able to read in peace.  
  
"Yeah!" Gilbert answered loudly, "that isn't any fun at all! You should get out more!"  
  
"No thanks," you replied. "It's not like anything interesting happens anyways."  
  
"Kesesese," Gilbert laughed. "Oh [Name] you're so naïve. _You_ have to make things interesting!"  
  
A smile made its way to your lips as you jokingly replied, "Nah, seems like too much work."  
  
Gilbert remained quiet for a bit before bursting out with laughter, "Kesesese! Then let me do the work! I'll make life interesting for you!"  
  
"And just how would you do that?" you questioned the silver-haired man. You had to admit, this intrigued and interested you.  
  
Gilbert shrugged as he answered, "I have no idea. I'll just ask around."  
  
You rolled your eyes; you knew it was stupid to let something like that pique your interest and raise your hopes up. Nevertheless, Gilbert looked determined and serious about this. You couldn't help but be grateful towards him. Sure, Gilbert was arrogant, noisy, and a lot of other negative things, but he was also sweet, friendly, and always thinking of his loved ones. You truly felt blessed and lucky to have such an awesome friend like him.  
  
You looked at the time and stood up; there were three minutes left until the five minute warning bell. You still had to put your stuff away in your locker, so you waved goodbye to Gilbert and started walking towards your locker. As you approached your destination, a grin spread from your lips upon setting your eyes upon the two Italian brothers that you so dearly loved. It looked like Lovino, the older of the siblings was scolding Feliciano; some things never change.  
  
"You should learn to do your own damn work you idiot!" Lovino lectured his younger brother.  
  
"Veh~ I'm sorry~! I promise I'll do better next time, so please~?"  
  
"Hey you two," you greeted the both of them, causing the two to put their conversation on hold for a moment and direct their attention towards you.  
  
Feliciano gave you a huge hug, "Good afternoon [Name]!"  
  
You laughed as you hugged the Italian back, and you looked up at Lovino. He merely grunted as his way of greeting you and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"It's nice to see you too Lovino," you said, knowing full well that Lovino was just as happy as his brother to see you. "What were you two talking about?"  
  
"Stupid Feliciano forgot to do his work and now he's begging me to let him copy mine," Lovino harrumphed. "Like hell I would!"  
  
A soft laugh escaped your lips, "Aww, come on Lovino. Can't you let him copy just this once?"  
  
Feliciano's face instantly lit up, "Veh~ I'm so glad you're on my side [Name]!"  
  
"Wh-Why the hell do you have to take his damn side?!" Lovino asked, completely appalled, "and this isn't the first time this happened! It's happened many times before!"  
  
"But Feliciano looks so helpless," you coolly argued with Lovino. "Besides, he's your brother."  
  
Lovino remained quiet for a moment, and you took this as your time to put your stuff in your locker as well as get the things you required, waiting for his answer. After a while, Lovino gave a defeated sigh and took out some papers, reluctantly handing them over to Feliciano.  
  
"This is just to get you off of my fucking case," Lovino said to you, "...not just because you asked or because he's my brother."  
  
You gave a sad smile, wishing that that was indeed the reason. You figured it really was and that Lovino was just too shy to admit it, but even so, to have him say that saddened you. "Of course."  
  
Just then, the bell rung, signalling the end of the period and telling the students and staff that five minutes remained until the start of the next period. Feliciano quickly thanked both you and Lovino before running off to his class.  
  
You and Lovino were in the same class for next period, so the both of you walked over there, sharing some idle conversation. One of the things you hated about your school was that the hallways were _always_ crowded. Well, at least a specific few and this was one of those hallways. You tried to maintain your pace with Lovino without bumping into anyone, but that seemed impossible. About two or three apologies left your mouth before you were bumped nearly losing your footing had Lovino not been there to steady you. He placed his free hand firmly on your shoulder to make sure you didn't fall. His hand rested on your shoulder until the students in the hallway started to decrease and you finally had breathing room again.  
  
"Thank you," you smiled towards the Italian once he let go of your shoulder.  
  
Lovino didn't reply. Instead, he just turned his head to the side, avoiding your gaze as his cheeks flushed the slightest bit. This didn't escape your notice, and you guessed that Lovino had a crush on you. In all honesty, you had a crush on him too, and you would've confessed, but you were too scared. You were afraid of being rejected; you kept on second-guessing yourself on whether or not Lovino had a crush on you, thus preventing you from confessing. You were far too shy, and to be honest, you kind of wanted Lovino to make the first move.  
  
As you were about to enter your classroom, you almost bumped into another friend of yours who was about to enter at the same time as you. You greeted the blond English man, "Good afternoon Arthur."  
  
"Good afternoon to you too, love," he smiled and took one step back, gesturing with his hand for you to go first.  
  
You covered your mouth to hide your stupid grin and giggled. You were always fond of gentlemen, especially in romance stories. "Thank you Arthur. You're such a gentleman."  
  
"I try," Arthur replied.  
  
You walked inside the classroom closely followed by Lovino and then Arthur. You made your way towards your assigned seat and plopped down on it, putting all of your belongings like your textbook, notebook, and pencil case on the desk. Your hand immediately grabbed the novel you brought along and flipped through it until you reached your page. The teacher wasn't here yet, so you figured that you could escape reality and sneak in a few paragraphs before you had to go back to your dull day in school.  
  
 **\--- Lovino's P.o.V. ---**  
  
[Name] was lost in her own world again. She was reading some new novel that she had recently got her hands on, and it looked like she was completely hooked on it. I inwardly sighed, resting my cheek on the palm of my hand as I looked at her.  
  
God, she was so... _beautiful_. I love the way her kind (e/c) eyes light up whenever she saw a friend of hers or whenever something interested her. I love the way she would always smile at me despite my constant cussing and name-calling.  
  
She was patient.  
  
She was kind.  
  
She was understanding.  
  
She was just so fucking beautiful and amazing. I hate to admit it, but I love her so much. I just wish she would realize how I feel and say that the feeling was mutual, but she was always so absorbed in fiction. Reality seemed too boring for her. If only she would be mine, then I'll make every single day of hers full of surprises...but she won't realize my feelings towards her.  
  
Damn it... I should confess to her—and soon! Otherwise she'll slip away from me, but I'm...scared. What if she doesn't love me back? What if it's too awkward and starts to avoid me? Damn it...damn it... _DAMN IT_!  
  
I hear somebody speak to me in a hushed tone, "You're scowling much more than your usual self you know."  
  
I turned my head to the side and realized that Arthur had pulled up a chair beside me. The bell had already rung, but the teacher still wasn't here. He was probably running late; not that I cared.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked him, irritation evident in my voice.  
  
Arthur looked at me and then towards [Name] and then back to me. He had a knowing look in his eyes.   
  
"You know, [Name] might like you too," Arthur said, continuing to speak in a hushed tone. Since she was sitting so close, the possibility of [Name] hearing the conversation was likely, but she was way too absorbed in her novel.  
  
I remained quiet, not knowing exactly how to reply to that.  
  
"Tell her how you feel and try asking her out on a date," Arthur continued. He then took out a neat sheet of stationary paper, placing it on my desk. "If you don't trust your voice, then write it down."  
  
That was all he said to me before going back to his usual seat. I stared at the paper in front of me and picked up a pen. It hovered over the paper as I had an internal debate on whether or not I should really do this.  
  
 _'Do it! She really might like you back!'  
  
'But you're not sure about that...'  
  
'It's better than not fucking knowing! You should take this as your chance!'  
  
'Damn it, what if she starts to hate you?!'  
  
'There's no way in hell she would do that!'  
  
'But she might distance herself away from you.'  
  
'Someone else might take her! And maybe even for the wrong reasons! The bastard might end up hurting her! Do you want to stay a coward your entire life?!'_  
  
That seemed to decide things, and my pen made contact with the paper. Once I finished writing, I folded it twice before placing it on her desk.  
  
 **\--- Your P.o.V. ---**  
  
I was so lost in the novel that I almost didn't realize Lovino place something on my desk. The moment he did, he immediately went back to his usual spot and laid his head on his desk, hiding it with his arms. Curious, I reached for the paper and unfolded it. The writing on it was definitely his. It seemed messy, unlike his usual neat handwriting. It looked like his hands were shaky when he wrote this; he must have been nervous, but what for?  
  
My eyes scanned the contents of the paper, heat rising to my cheeks with each passing word.  
  
 _[Name],  
  
Guess what? I fucking love you. I always had ever since you asked me if I wanted to be your partner for that Science experiment last year, instead of asking Feliciano like the rest of the class. You're beautiful, amazing, extraordinary, and damn it! I. Fucking. Love. You. Do I really need to explain myself?  
  
Anyways, I was wondering if you want to go on a date with me and be my girlfriend...? I promise I'll make every single day of yours fucking amazing that you won't have to dream so much!  
  
Lovino Vargas_  
  
I let out a soft giggle as the corners of my mouth slowly tugged upwards into a huge grin. It hurt so much from smiling, but this...this just made my day. I was so happy. I glanced over at Lovino; he still had his face hidden. He was probably super embarrassed. I didn't want to keep him waiting with my answer, so I started rummaging through my pencil case for a pen. Just my luck...I can't find any pens that work!  
  
"Here, love. Use this."  
  
I looked up and saw Arthur holding out a pen decorated with the UK flag. I accepted it gladly and thanked him. He merely smiled at me, as though he knew...He probably planned this. I should thank him again later on. I turned my attention back to the paper in front of me and hastily started writing. My goodness, my writing was so messy; I hope Lovino doesn't mind.  
  
 _Lovino,_  
  
I'm so happy that you feel that way towards me. You don't really have to go on a date with me, because I always lie awake at night, thinking of you. Quoting Dr. Seuss, "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."  
  
In other words...Lovino Vargas...I love you.  
  
I know I said you don't have to go on a date with me, but I would very much love to, and I would love to be your girlfriend.  
  
[Name]  
  
I folded again on the creases from Lovino's previous folds and handed it over to the cute Italian that I loved so much. He didn't seem to notice, so I poked him on the shoulder and pointed to the paper on his desk when he looked at me. Lovino's face was red, and I'm sure mine was as well, but I didn't care.  
  
Finally, the teacher came just as Lovino opened the note and started reading the contents. I placed my hand on my chin and stared out the window to avoid looking at Lovino otherwise my face would be beet red. Ha, as if it wasn't already. I was way too embarrassed and shy. My eyes then directed their attention towards the book on my desk, and I slowly smile.  
  
Reading will have to wait. I have far more interesting things to do.


	15. S.Italy/Romano: Secret Santa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff/Slice of Life |You participate in a Secret Santa event with your friends.**

You were sitting with your group of friends at the cafeteria when Antonio had come up to you and your friends. He asked you and the others, "Would you want to participate in a Secret Santa with the rest of us?"  
  
"Who's participating?" you asked. If you were going to participate, you wanted to make sure that you knew at least half of the people participating so that you would have an idea on what to give them in case you got them.  
  
"Well, there's me, Francis, Gilbert, Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Arthur, Alfred..." Antonio started listing off all the people who agreed to participate in the Secret Santa.  
  
As the young man went through the list, you noted that you knew most of the participants, so it would be okay if you got someone random. As soon as Antonio was done and couldn't think of the other participants at the top of his head, you nodded in agreement.  
  
"Nah, we're good," your friends answered. "Maybe another time."  
  
Your answer was different from your friends. "Yeah," you answered, "I'd love to participate!"  
  
"Great!" Antonio beamed as he took out a pen and paper and wrote your name in the list of participants. "We'll pick the names out tomorrow."  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Antonio then turned on his heel and went around asking other people if they'd like to participate in the Secret Santa. You turned your attention back to your friends, excited about the event, eager to participate.

* * *

Soon enough, it was the next day, and you were once again hanging out in the cafeteria with your friends. You spotted Antonio a fair distance away, and you excused yourself from your table for a second, walking up to the Spaniard. You tapped him on his shoulder, and he turned around, curious as to whom it was. When he saw that it was you, he offered you a huge grin.  
  
"Oh, good! You're here. I was about to look for you," the young man said as he took out a plastic bag filled with folded pieces of paper. "Pick out a name, and that's your victim for your Secret Santa."  
  
You laughed, "Alright then."  
  
You stuck your hand inside the plastic bag and rummaged through, slightly sticking your tongue out of your mouth as you concentrated on which paper to choose to determine both your and that person’s fate. After a while, you finally took out a folded piece of paper. You unfolded it curiously and looked at the name that was written in neat handwriting.  
  
 _"Feliciano"_  
  
You nodded in understanding and accepting of this person, "Mkay."  
  
Antonio smiled at you, "Alright, good. We'll be meeting up during the break just a few days before Christmas, and that's when we'll be exchanging the gifts. If you can't meet up during that day, then just give your gift whenever you can."  
  
"Alright, I understand," you answered.  
  
Flashing one last smile, Antonio then started looking for the other participants so that they could pick out their victims for the Secret Santa. You stared down at the slip of paper in front of you, and you tilted your head to the side curiously. You were good friends with Lovino, Feliciano's brother, but you weren't exactly all that close with Feliciano himself, so you didn’t know what to get him.  
  
 _"Hm, I guess I can ask Lovino what Feliciano would like,"_ you thought to yourself. _"It's not like he'll tell Feliciano and rat me out or anything like that, right?"_  
  
Fortunately for you, Lovino was in the same class as you for the next period, so you decided that you could ask him there. You went back to your group of friends for the rest of the lunch period and spent the time chatting about random things. Eventually, the period ended, and it was time for your next class.  
  
You sat down in your seat and your eyes scanned the room for your friend, Lovino. Your eyes lit up when you saw him enter the room, waving goodbye rather annoyed at his friend, Antonio. You saw him sigh as he went to sit in his seat which was situated right in front of you. Just before he sat down, he nodded in your direction in greeting.  
  
"Hello Lovino," you greeted him in return.  
  
The young man didn't say anything else and just sat down at his seat, placing his chin atop the palm of his hand as he rested his elbow upon the desk. You bit your lip in hesitation as you pondered on how you would bring up the topic of asking him about what Feliciano would like. Soon enough, you figured you had nothing else to lose, so you tapped his shoulder, getting his attention.  
  
"Hm? What is it?" Lovino asked you, turning around to face you.  
  
"You're participating in the Secret Santa thing, right?" you asked him.  
  
Lovino nodded, "Yeah, I am. But I won't tell you who I got."  
  
"It's okay; you don't have to tell me, but I need your help," you answered.  
  
The young man looked at you curiously and gave you his full, undivided attention. "What is it?"  
  
"What would Feliciano like as a gift?" you hesitated with your question, and even as you told him, your voice was soft.  
  
"Why?" Lovino asked.  
  
"Because I want to get him something nice," you answered, not realizing the annoyed look on Lovino's face.  
  
Lovino crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't know, really."  
  
"But aren't you his brother?" you asked.  
  
The young man's cheeks puffed indignantly, "Yes, but that doesn't mean I know everything about him like what he would like as a present!"  
  
Sensing the displeasure Lovino was emitting, you slowly backed away, "O-Okay, sorry."  
  
Upon seeing your scared and guilty expression, Lovino's eyes softened, and he apologized, "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just... Feliciano is always... No, never mind. Forget I said anything."  
  
Without any further words, the young man turned back to face the board, turning his back towards you. Your lips curved downwards into an unpleasant frown, and you felt horrible. You had forgotten that Lovino often felt like he was nothing compared to his brother. Upon realizing this, you sighed, disappointed in yourself.  
  
"...Sorry," you mumbled to Lovino; although, you were uncertain as to whether or not he heard you.

* * *

After days and days of thinking, you were finally able to get a good enough gift to your victim for the Secret Santa. You remembered Feliciano being a really good artist, so you got him a sketchbook as well as a few sketching pencils and other drawing equipment. You had neatly wrapped it, and you placed it in a secure place in your room as you waited for the day for the gift exchange to come around.  
  
The following days passed by rather slowly. Most of your classes involved doing some final assignments before the break, and then when the break came, you found yourself being completely bored with nothing else to do. Your eyes stared at the calendar that hung on the wall in your room as you counted down the days left before the gift exchange.   
  
When the gift exchange day finally arrived, you were absolutely excited, not just at the thought of giving and receiving gifts, but at the thought of meeting up with your friends during the break. Everybody else seemed so busy during the holiday season, so this was the only day you could meet up with your friends.   
  
You put on your winter attire and grabbed the neatly wrapped gift before heading out the door, and you started walking towards the designated meeting spot. As you walked to the meeting spot, you found yourself looking around; admiring everything that winter had to offer. It looked like it was going to be a very beautiful Christmas.  
  
"[Name]!"  
  
You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard a familiar voice call your name. You looked up and grinned at the Spaniard that waved at you. You were so engrossed in winter’s beauty that you hadn’t realized you already arrived at your destination. A lot of people had already gathered around. You walked up to him and greeted him with a hug.  
  
"Hello Antonio," you laughed, "Happy holidays!"  
  
"Happy holidays to you too," Antonio returned the hug with as much passion. "We're still waiting for a few people, but if you find your person for the Secret Santa, you could give it to them now."  
  
You nodded in understanding, "Okay then. I'll see you later."  
  
"Yeah," Antonio said before turning on his heel and chatting with the other participants in the Secret Santa.  
  
Your eyes scanned the crowd of people for the young Italian, but you couldn't find him. Your shoulders slumped in disappointment, but figured you could talk with the others as you waited for the two Italian brothers to show up.  
  
After a few minutes of socializing, you saw from the corner of your eye the two Italian brothers arrive at the scene. You excused yourself from the group of people you were currently talking to, and you jogged over to where the two were.  
  
"Feliciano! Lovino!" you called out to them.  
  
The two Italian brothers looked up at who it was that was calling them, and they smiled at you in greeting.  
  
"Veh~ Hello," Feliciano returned the greeting as Lovino merely nodded and grunted in greeting.  
  
You smiled at Feliciano and handed him his gift. "Merry Christmas! I'm your Secret Santa!"  
  
Feliciano's eyes lit up instantly, "Veh~ Really? _Grazie_!"  
  
You slightly tilted your head to the side and offered a kind smile, "You're welcome."  
  
"Can I open it now?" Feliciano asked.  
  
"Sure, go ahead," you nodded, gesturing him to open it.  
  
The young Italian smiled as he gave Lovino his gift for the gift exchange to hold onto as Feliciano opened the gift. When he did, you were absolutely satisfied to see his eyes light up upon seeing what it was that you gave him.  
  
"Wow!" Feliciano breathed out, "This is perfect! Thank you so much!"  
  
A soft giggle escaped your lips as Feliciano wrapped his arms around you, giving you a huge and tight hug, "You're welcome. I'm glad you love it."  
  
"I'll definitely use these," Feliciano grinned.  
  
Lovino then handed Feliciano's gift back to him so that he could give it to the person he was assigned for the Secret Santa. The young Italian left the group, and you were left alone with Lovino. An awkward silence hung in the air as you couldn't really think of anything to say, and neither could Lovino. Eventually, the young Italian took out a neatly wrapped gift from his pocket and held it out to you.  
  
"Here you go," Lovino said.  
  
"Oh my, thank you Lovino!" you said, graciously accepting the gift.  
  
"I'm not your Secret Santa though," Lovino said, catching you by surprise.  
  
You tilted your head in confusion, "I'm sorry?"  
  
"I-I really wanted to get you something despite the fact that I wasn't your Secret Santa," Lovino answered, turning his head to the side to avoid your gaze. "I, um... yeah. J-Just open it already, _chigi_!"  
  
You let out a soft laugh at how his tsundere side was showing before opening the gift. Your eyes widened at the beautiful and ornate music box that you now held in your hands. "Oh my goodness, this is so..." you trailed off, unable to find the proper words to use to express how you felt about the young man’s gift.  
  
"You like music, right?" Lovino said. "So, I thought you might like it."  
  
"Th-Thank you so much, Lovino!" you grinned from ear to ear, pulling the young man in for a huge hug.  
  
Lovino blushed and continued to act tsun, "D-Don't make such a huge scene!"  
  
"Haha, sorry," you laughed, pulling away.  
  
You beamed at the young man in front of you, and he offered you a small, serene smile. He then kissed your cheek and whispered, " _Buon Natale_."


	16. HetaQuest!Romano: Stolen Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff |The thief never suspected you’d steal from him.**

Lovino Vargas was at a complete loss. He was a thief! A _thief_! _He_ was the one that was supposed to be stealing things! _He_ was supposed to be the _culprit_ —not the _victim_! Even so, you stole something of his, though unintentionally and unknowingly.  
  
You had stolen Lovino Vargas’ heart.  
  
He didn’t know when exactly you had stolen his heart, but he just realized it one day. He enjoyed seeing your beautiful and radiant smile, hearing your wonderful laugh, and listening to your boundless amount of stories.  
  
But just who were you exactly? Who was the one that stole from the great thief himself? You were none other than just your typical store owner. You sold potions and elixirs in a small shop. There wasn’t anything particularly really interesting about you, except that you absolutely loved to dream. Despite leading a mundane life like the other citizens of Spina, Lovino still couldn’t protect his heart from being stolen by you.  
  
Now then, since you had stolen his heart, he often wondered about just what you were going to do with it. Were you going to shatter it to a million pieces, or would you return it to him, or would you perhaps give him your heart as you kept his safe? Lovino wondered, and eventually, decided that it was about time for him to find out.

* * *

You had your elbows propped on the counter as you were completely absorbed in one of your usual daydreaming again. The sound of the door to your shop opening snapped you back to reality, and you straightened up.  
  
“Good morning Lovino,” you smiled sweetly at the male who walked inside your shop.  
  
Lovino was one of your frequent visitors. Yes, not necessarily one of your frequent "customers", but rather your "visitors". He almost always stops by your place whenever he’s back home and not in some far off place stealing from others.  
  
Whenever Lovino came to your shop, it was more like an exchange of stories between the two of you rather than him buying stuff. This didn’t upset you at all that he didn’t buy things and help with your sales, but you enjoyed listening to his stories and you considered them just as good if he were to actually buy stuff. The life you led was pretty boring and uneventful, so it was always nice and exciting hearing about his adventures of thievery.  
  
“Hey,” Lovino greeted you as he scanned the potions and elixirs on display.  
  
“Will you be buying something today or just telling me one of your stories again?” you asked with a smile as Lovino continued looking through the different items in stock.  
  
You knew Lovino was a thief; he told you once before, and you believed him. Sure, being a store owner yourself, you didn’t really find it condemnable of him to steal from people who work hard to put food on the table. You often tried to talk him out of the life he led, but when he told you of his amazing feats and dashing escapes, you always ended up getting lost in his story telling. You would end up clamming yourself shut whenever he started telling you about how he got his hands on his most recent treasure, and you figured Lovino always brought up a new story of his on purpose so that he wouldn’t have to listen to your chastising. You didn’t mind one bit though.  
  
“Actually, I came here to ask you something,” he said as he picked up a bottled elixir and inspected it.  
  
You propped your elbows on the counter again and rested your chin on the palm of hands. Since it was Lovino, it was okay for you to be all relaxed and laid-back and not stiff and formal with your other customers. “Okay then, shoot.”  
  
You closed your eyes and tried to go back to daydreaming, but still listened to his voice. Even if you knew Lovino was a thief, you didn’t really keep that close of an eye on him. Lovino never stole from you, and you didn’t think that he ever will. You trusted him.  
  
“Are you free this weekend?” he asked curiously.  
  
“Mm...I think so,” you answered as you mentally went over your schedule. “Why?”  
  
“Um...well, I was wondering if you’d like to...um...” Lovino stumbled with his question, which was completely unusual for him, and this caused some concern for you.  
  
You opened your eyes to look at him; he had put the bottle back on the stand and stood in front of you. He was scratching the back of his head with one hand while the other lay on his hip. He looked to the side and avoided looking directly at you as a light blush dusted his cheeks. He tried asking again.  
  
“...I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me...” Lovino asked quietly, sparing you a glance.  
  
“L-Like a date...?” you asked as you slowly felt heat rise to your cheeks.  
  
“W-Well, it doesn’t have to be a date! It could just be us hanging out, but...” Lovino trailed off. You opened your mouth to answer, but he continued, cutting you short. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, y’know. I was just wondering is all.”  
  
The male was about to turn on his heel and walk away, but he stopped immediately in his tracks when he heard your answer.  
  
“I’d love to.”  
  
“Really?!” Lovino exclaimed, but then cleared his throat and repeated the same question but with a calmer tone after realizing how he sounded way too excited, “I-I mean, really?”  
  
You covered your laugh with your hands and nodded, “Yeah.”  
  
“Great. So then, I’ll pick you up around four this weekend?” Lovino asked.  
  
“Mm-hmm, that sounds good. I’ll close shop early that day,” you replied.  
  
“Alright then! So, um...bye! I’ll see you later,” Lovino bid you farewell as he turned on his heel.  
  
“Have a nice day, Lovino,” you giggled as you watched the thief leave your shop.  
  
Once the door had closed fully on your shop, Lovino took two steps forward before doing a fist pump and happily exclaiming, “Success!”

* * *

Ever since Lovino had asked you out, the following days seemed to pass by way too slowly for your liking. Sales seemed to go much slower, and your dreams and daydreams seemed to end far too quickly. However, as the weekend drew closer, you couldn't help but feel very excited, and at the same time, nervous.  
  
You haven't been on a date for a super long time. You remember your last relationship; it wasn't all that great. Your ex-boyfriend only cared about himself, and he barely paid any real attention to you. It was a wonder to you as to why on earth you even decided to go out with him. Ever since that last relationship, you committed yourself to not be so hopelessly in love ever again. It was going really well...that is, until you met Lovino. That day was crystal clear in your memory.  
  
 _Lovino's brother, Feliciano, was buying some potions and elixirs from your shop for his journey as mediator, and Lovino decided to accompany him. The journey was going to be a really long one, so the two brothers wouldn't have gotten a chance to see each other. Lovino didn't want to admit it, but he wanted to spend as much time with his younger sibling before he left.  
  
"These are some nice stuff you got," Lovino commented as he looked through the shelves.  
  
"Thank you," you replied, "I try my hardest to get the best in stock."  
  
Lovino nodded and resumed glancing around the shop as Feliciano took his sweet time comparing prices. Feliciano often came to your shop to buy supplies, but this was your first time seeing Lovino. You were curious, and your eyes followed him around the shop.  
  
"...Is something wrong?" the young man asked you when he caught sight of you staring at him.  
  
"What? O-Oh, no--no, not at all! I was just...um..." you trailed off as words failed to come to your mind at the moment.  
  
Lovino looked at you quizzically before the corners of his mouth tugged upwards slightly. "You're so strange."  
  
You let out a small chuckle at his comment, "Why, thank you. It's not every day somebody says that to me."  
  
The young man must have thought you were being sarcastic with him, because he tried to correct himself, "I didn't mean it as an insult."  
  
"I'm well aware," you waved your hand in a dismissive manner. "That's why I thanked you, but even if you _did__ mean it as an insult, I would've considered it as a compliment."  
  
"...You really are strange," Lovino laughed, and you soon followed after him.

* * *

As promised, you had closed shop early that day. You were already dressed in comfortable and nice clothes, and you awkwardly looked down at the ground as you waited for Lovino. It's been a while since you last dressed up like this. You were starting to get nervous and self-conscious, but you were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard footsteps approach you.  
  
"Sorry," Lovino apologized, "Did I keep you waiting?"  
  
You shook your head, "Not at all. Let's go."  
  
The both of you walked throughout the town, and while this was technically a date, it seemed more like your usual outings with the thief whenever the two of you had free time. The atmosphere was generally comfortable with you two, but a certain nervousness and awkwardness hung in the air.  
  
Eventually, both you and Lovino decided to take your date to a field just on the outskirts of town. It seemed like this was a very typical destination for young couples, as there were already a few couples at the field, but they all seemed lost in their own world to take notice of anything else.  
  
"This is nice," you let out a blissful sigh as you felt the gentle breeze blow on your face.  
  
Lovino nodded in agreement, "Yeah..."  
  
Silence stretched between the two of you. You decided to sit down on the grass, and Lovino soon followed after you, sitting beside you.  
  
"...Will you be leaving soon for another one of your adventures?" you asked.  
  
"Yeah, in three days or so," Lovino answered.  
  
You let out a hum in understanding, "I see... Well, remember to stock up on supplies. We wouldn't want you getting hurt now, do we?"  
  
"Don't worry," Lovino replied with a faint smile. "I'll be visiting your shop before I leave."  
  
"Good, good," you smiled in return. "Since you're special, I'll give you a discount."  
  
The young man laughed with amusement, "I'd greatly appreciate it."  
  
"Well, not like you'll need it that much since you're a great thief."  
  
Once again, silence filled the space between the two of you as you both stared at the sky above. You closed your eyes, relishing the moment, but you soon opened your eyes when Lovino started to speak.  
  
"Actually, I, um... I have a request. Or maybe it's more like a question...?" Lovino struggled with words, causing you to look at him curiously.  
  
"Hm? What is it?"  
  
"You see...something important of mine was stolen for a while now," Lovino admitted, making extra sure to refuse eye contact with you.  
  
You gasped, "Oh no... Really? How? Who was it? What did they steal? Maybe I can help you get it back."  
  
"That's the thing..." Lovino started. "You see, you..." the thief trailed off and sighed as he tried to get the words out.  
  
"What was stolen?" you asked, hoping that maybe having him answer one question at a time will help him with whatever it was that he wanted to say.  
  
"...My heart," Lovino answered you, mustering enough courage to look you straight in the eyes.  
  
"..."  
  
"......"  
  
"I-I'm sorry, what?" you asked him to repeat what he just said. Were you hearing things properly? Did he just say...?  
  
The young man turned himself so that he was directly facing you and stared at you with serious eyes as he said, "You've stolen my heart from me."  
  
"......"  
  
"..."  
  
You didn't know how to respond. It took a moment for you to process what he just said, and when it finally clicked in your mind, the first thing you did surprised Lovino. You laughed. You doubled over in laughter and let yourself fall down onto the ground as you clutched your stomach, trying to calm yourself. While you were busy laughing, Lovino just sat there, completely confused as a blush started to form on his cheeks.  
  
"Wh-Why are you laughing? I'm serious here!" Lovino exclaimed.  
  
"I-I know!" you answered between gasps as you tried to catch your breath, "That's why it's so funny! Because you looked so serious when saying something so cheesy like that; it was so unlike you—"  
  
"Th-That's because that's what Feliciano told me to..." Lovino pursed his lips in a pout as he stared off annoyed to the side.  
  
You continued lying on the grass, finally relieved, and you smiled at him. "It's fine. It was cute seeing that side of you."  
  
Lovino continued to pout for a bit longer before turning his attention back to you. He then asked, "So? What will you do with it? My heart, that is..."  
  
Your expression softened, and you grasped the young man's hand. "I will treasure it, but... I don't think I'm cut out for being a thief. I'll just feel bad, so... I'll give you my heart in exchange for yours."  
  
Lovino's eyes widened from your response, and his eyes started to glisten which made you want to tease him. "Aww, are you crying?"  
  
"N-No, I'm not!" Lovino answered a bit too quickly and enthusiastically. "I just got dust in my eye!"  
  
You laughed, prompting the thief to smile at you. He kissed your fingers, surprising you as heat rose to your cheeks.  
  
"This is, without a doubt, my greatest treasure. I won't let anyone steal it from me."


	17. Spain: Young Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort/Fluff |You meet an old friend.**

Heaving a sigh, you got off the bus along with some of the other passengers. You readjusted the bag you were carrying so that you were comfortable and glanced towards the direction towards your home. You heaved another sigh as you slowly started walking towards your home.  
  
 _"The weather sure is surprisingly nice today,"_ you thought as you continued on your walk before you stopped. _"...I don't want to go home..."_  
  
You had gotten into an argument with your family recently, and needless to say, you felt unwelcome. Of course, you knew that that wasn't the case; you were certain that your family loved you, but that argument you had with them just made you feel uncomfortable to be around them for the time being. You glanced at the time and realized that you were a bit earlier than usual.  
  
That was when you remembered that there was a park nearby that you used to play at. It was a small, simple park with a nice playground. It was close to your old school, and you often played there as a child. You ended up moving to a new house a bit further away, but it was still relatively close. Deciding that you weren't ready to go home yet, you turned back around and headed for the bus stop.  
  
 _"The weather's pretty nice too, anyways,"_ you thought as you boarded the new bus and started heading towards the park.  
  
The bus ride wasn't that long; it was only a few stops before you got off, then you had to walk a bit. As you walked towards the park, you passed by your old house; a small nostalgic smile made its way onto your lips as you stared at it for a few minutes. Looking back at it, you never realized how small it actually was. When you were younger, you had often thought of it like a mansion. A small laugh escaped you as you remembered the past.  
  
As soon as you were reminiscing, you resumed your journey to the park. Eventually, the park came into view, and you grinned, seeing how unchanged it was even after all these years. You crossed the street and immediately headed for the swings. The swings were one of the things you liked the most about the park, and you often went there whenever you needed to get your mind off of things. The feeling of being up in the air and swinging forward and back calmed you.   
  
Despite the nice weather, you realized that nobody else was there. "That's fine. It's better this way," you mumbled to yourself as you set your bag down beside the swing set; you never liked leaving your stuff out in the open where it's easy to steal, even if nobody else was in the vicinity.  
  
You sat down on the swing, noting how low the seat actually was compared to the last time you've been there. Before, you would need somebody's help to get you started on swinging, or you would end up struggling to start, but this time, it was incredibly easy to start. With one swift motion, you started swinging. You allowed your legs and body to sway, enjoying the breeze that brushed your face.  
  
Your eyes glanced around; it was a small neighbourhood where the park was. Very few cars and people passed by. You felt completely at ease here. As you swung back and forth, you slowly allowed your negative thoughts and emotions slip away. With each swing where you went up in the air, you threw away some negativity. Back and forth. Back and forth. You were starting to become lost in your swinging when you heard a familiar voice call your name.  
  
Snapping back to reality, you looked towards the owner of said voice, and your eyes widened. Standing there was a young man with lightly tanned skin. He looked much older and mature from when you last saw him, but you could never forget that curly brown hair or those friendly green eyes.  
  
"Antonio...?" you whispered out in disbelief, bringing yourself to a stop.  
  
A wide toothy grin spread across the young man's face, "Sí! It's been a while!"  
  
"Yeah..." you got off the swing and awkwardly stood there in front of your childhood friend, not knowing what to say or do.  
  
Antonio just continued smiling as you pulled you into a huge hug, "You've grown up so much the last time I saw you!"  
  
"Well, it has been a long time since we last saw each other," you laughed as the two of you pulled away from the embrace. "You've gotten taller. And more handsome."  
  
Antonio scratched the back of his head, "Gee, you think? Thanks! The same goes for you; you turned from a pretty girl to a pretty woman."  
  
"I see your still smooth with words," you joked, "I bet you've made many women fall for you."  
  
"And I bet you have many men at your heels," Antonio replied.  
  
You let out an amused chuckle, "I wish!"  
  
A lull then went over the conversation as the two of you didn't know how to continue the conversation. The young man then asked, "So, what brings you here?"  
  
"Oh, I..." you gripped your arm and turned your head to the side, not meeting the young man's gaze. "I didn't feel like going home."  
  
"Why not?" Antonio asked, concern and worry lacing his voice.  
  
You glanced towards him for a brief second before looking away again. "I got into an argument with my family, so I thought I could kill some time here for the time being..."  
  
Antonio let a low hum pass through his lips, "I see..."  
  
Silence stretched over the two of you. You fidgeted slightly before you felt a warm hand grab yours. Blinking in surprise, you looked up towards Antonio.  
  
"Wanna come over to my place for the time being then? We can catch up!" Antonio suggested.  
  
"Are you sure...?" you asked hesitantly.  
  
The young man nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I mean, my parents love you and everything! Although, they're not really home at the moment; they went to visit someone—I don't know who—and won't be back 'til late at night."  
  
"Alright then, if you're fine with it..."  
  
"I'm totally fine with it! I mean, it _is_ you, after all. You're special."  
  
"...Thanks," you smiled in appreciation, your expression softening from Antonio's kindness.  
  
"Alright then, let's go!" Antonio exclaimed with vigour and started leading you to his home.  
  
As you walked with Antonio back to his home, you couldn't help but ask, "Do you still live in the same house from before I moved?"  
  
"Yup! You still remember, huh?" Antonio answered you, flashing you a gentle smile.  
  
You nodded your head, "Yeah, so...um...y-you really don't have to hold my hand the whole way there."  
  
The two of you stopped walking, and you brought your gaze down towards your hand that Antonio still hadn't let go. Antonio too glanced down at it for a brief second before pulling it away.  
  
"O-Oh! Sorry about that," he laughed sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "Force of habit, I guess."  
  
"I-It's fine," you responded. "I remember how we always used to walk home together, holding hands. We were always scared to let go, in case one of us got kidnapped."  
  
The young man laughed, "Yeah! I remember that! What was it that we used to say? 'If one of us got kidnapped, the other has to come with us no matter what', right?"  
  
"Mm-hmm! 'We're a packaged deal', I believe it was," you added, joining in on Antonio's laughter.  
  
The two of you then resumed walking back to his home, all the while reminiscing things of the past and talking about the things you guys were doing today. You were having so much fun that you hadn't realized the two of you had already arrived at his home. Antonio took out his keys from his pocket and opened the door for you. He stepped to the side and bowed.  
  
"Milady," he gestured for you to go in first.  
  
You let out a small amused snort as you walked inside, "Dork."  
  
"Aww, so mean," Antonio smiled in appreciation of the light banter the two of you were able to keep, walking in behind you and shutting the door, locking it.  
  
You set your bag down on the floor and walked inside. A warm expression spread across your face as you took in the familiar scent of the living room. The furniture, you realized, was different, and things were rearranged from where you last remembered, but it felt as welcoming as it did back then.  
  
"Make yourself at home," Antonio said as he walked to his kitchen while you went to sit on the couch. "Do you want anything to drink?"  
  
"Oh, just water please," you answered.  
  
Your eyes continued to glance around the place before Antonio was soon at your side, offering you a glass of water. You graciously accepted it and took a few sips. The young man sat down beside you on the couch, and a comfortable silence filled the space between you two. Still wanting to bask in the nostalgia of your childhood friend's place, you eventually found yourself staring at a picture that hung on the wall.  
  
"Oh...I remember this," you breathed out, placing your glass of water down on the table as you got up from your seat and walked closer towards the photograph.  
  
Antonio followed behind you and looked at what had caught your attention. "Oh, that."  
  
The photograph you were staring at was an old one from before you moved away. It was of you and Antonio when you were both children perhaps no older than ten-years-old, standing side-by-side, holding each other's hand, a wide grin spread across both of your lips. You delicately reached your hand out to touch the photograph as you slowly started to smile. You felt your heart clench, and your throat felt constricted.  
  
You remembered everything. All those times you spent with Antonio. It was from a long time ago; it wasn't that you had forgotten them, but you had locked away those precious memories in the back of your mind as time grew on. Before you realized it, you had started crying.  
  
Antonio was startled and started to panic, "Ah—wh-what's wrong? Are you hurt?"  
  
You shook your head and chuckled, "No, not at all. I just...I just realized how long it's been, and just...just how much I missed everything. How much I missed you."  
  
You turned your gaze towards Antonio and were surprised that he was looking at you with a serious expression. You almost always saw him smiling; it was quite rare of him to have such an expression, and once again, you realized just how much he's matured since your childhood days.  
  
"I missed you too," Antonio confessed. "It was hard to keep in touch back then; we were still young, so our parents never really allowed us to have accounts for those social media stuff or have our own cell phones."  
  
"I guess we could've kept in touch if we tried harder. Like letters or something..." you commented. "But...I guess life got busy and in the way."  
  
"Yeah..." Antonio mumbled. "You know..."  
  
"Hm?" you tilted your head curiously to the side, urging on the young man when he drifted off in his sentence.  
  
Antonio took a deep breath, "There was something I never told you before you moved away."  
  
"What is it?" you asked.  
  
"I always really liked you back then; I thought you were super pretty and just a wonderful girl to hang around with," Antonio confessed, a small blush adorning his cheeks.  
  
You felt yourself lighten up at his words, and you smiled, "Same. I liked you a lot back then too."  
  
"Really?" Antonio asked, in disbelief.  
  
You couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, "Yeah, I did."  
  
"...What about now? Do you still feel the same way?" the young man wondered.  
  
You directed your gaze to the side as you felt your cheeks heat up slightly, "To be honest...I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't really liked anyone else since then, but it has been a long time. I don't know if what I feel is real now or just a shadow of the past, but...I guess I'm willing to try. What about you?"  
  
Despite asking him the question and expecting a straight and honest answer, you couldn't bring yourself to look at Antonio. You continued to avoid his gaze before he moved himself so that he stood in front of you. You were surprised at first, but instead of directing your eyes elsewhere, you mustered up the courage to look at him directly. It was only fair.  
  
"I'm willing to try, too."  
  
You slowly found yourself smiling, something which Antonio reflected in his expression. The two of you laughed together, excited to form fun, new memories together once more.


	18. Older Brother!Sweden: Bullying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Hurt/Comfort |You’re being bullied, and your brother was having none of that.**

You stared intently at the clock in the front of the class. The seconds seemed to tick by far too slowly for you. You couldn't help but squirm in your seat as it neared the time for the bell to ring. Soon enough, the bell had rung, signalling the end of the period.  
  
A sigh of relief escaped your lips as you quickly gathered up your books and belongings. Your strides were quick as you exited the room with your head was bent down, staring intently at the ground underneath you. You held your books and belongings close to your chest as you walked over to your locker.  
  
_"Quickly..."_ you thought. _"Come on! Open!"_  
  
Your lock had refused to cooperate with you and you had to try several times for it to finally open. You breathed out when it finally opened. However, just before you could swing your locker door open to get your books for your next period, a hand slammed hard on the locker, preventing you from proceeding any further.  
  
"Ah!" you let out a light squeak and cringed when the hand made impact. It was so close to your face and the noise it made was so sudden and loud that you couldn't help but react, no matter how much you didn't want to.  
  
"You sure left class in a hurry."  
  
You swallowed a lump in your throat as you slowly turned around towards the owner of the voice. You were now positioned in a way where you could face the male in front of you, but your eyes were downcast.  
  
"I-I can't be late for Physics class..." you lamely replied, your voice in a whisper.  
  
The male snorted and you bit your lip. The male in front of you was named Daniel. He was tall and muscular with unkempt, black hair and icy brown eyes. Not only that, but he was a total jerk. He enjoyed seeing other people suffer—especially you.  
  
You've been a victim of Daniel's insults and bullying for about a year now. You don't even know how you got into this mess. One day, you were just heading over to your English class with your eyes glued to the ground, when Daniel walked up to you and slapped his hand over your textbooks, causing everything to fall to the ground. No one thought anything of it; they were far too busy minding their own business.  
  
Your eyes scanned your surroundings. Students walked by, not paying much attention to you or your predicament. Daniel always made sure to behave whenever there were lots of people around. He couldn't get in trouble; he had a reputation to uphold after all.  
  
"My folks cut my allowance, so I need your lunch money," Daniel stated.  
  
You attempted to take a step back, but that was impossible since your back was already in contact with the lockers. "B-But I need it otherwise I won't be able to eat anything..."  
  
"Ha! Do you honestly think I care about that? Now give me what you owe," Daniel scowled.  
  
You bit your lip and cowered slightly upon his menacing stare. Deciding that you had no other choice, you fished through your pockets for your wallet. Daniel let out a triumphant smile when you took out your lunch money and shakily handed it over to him.  
  
"Good," was the last thing Daniel said before turning on his heel and leaving you alone.  
  
You held your breath as you watched his retreating figure. Once he turned the corner and left your view, you let out a shaky breath and then turned back to face your locker, gathering the books you needed for your next class: Physics.  
  
Physics class was your most favourite. The teacher was really kind and funny, and he always tried his best to make the subject more fun and interesting, and he succeeds. It was because of this that you were able to understand the content of the course really easy. However, your top reason why you loved that class was because Daniel wasn't in it. You thought that fate was being cruel and decided to place Daniel in all of your classes except Physics.  
  
A small smile graced your lips when the teacher started going over the lesson plan for the day. Soon enough, the period had ended much too soon to your disappointment. It was now lunch time, though you were in no hurry to head over to the cafeteria, unlike all of your fellow classmates.  
  
Your pace was slow as you walked to the cafeteria. Your eyes landed upon your best friend, and you walked up towards her. You slid in the seat and flashed a smile towards her.  
  
"Hey," you greeted her meekly.  
  
Your friend smiled back at you, "Hey! How was Physics?"  
  
"Pretty good," you replied as you propped your hands upon the table in front of you.  
  
"Aren't you going to eat?" your friend asked you, raising a questioning eyebrow.  
  
You shook your head and lied, "I forgot my lunch money."  
  
A small frown marred your friend's lips. She broke off a piece of her sandwich and handed it to you. "Oh, then here. Take it."  
  
You gladly accepted it, "Thanks."  
  
"No problem!" your friend replied with a toothy grin, "You need to eat to stay healthy after all!"  
  
You couldn't help but smile at your friend. She was so kind and caring towards you. She also worried a great deal about you, which is why you didn't bother telling her about your situation with Daniel. You knew that if you did, she would start flipping tables, and you honestly didn't want to trouble her at all.  
  
The rest of the day seemed to pass by slowly. You tried your hardest to avoid bumping into Daniel, but it was almost impossible. When the final bell had rung, you were fast as lightning on gathering your books and heading towards your locker. Remembering your previous encounter with Daniel, you made sure to be much quicker when placing your books away.  
  
Fortunately for you, your lock had decided to cooperate with you that time, and you wasted no time at all on slinging your bag over your shoulder and started heading towards the exit of the school. You mentally cheered when you managed to exit the building without any trouble at all, but that celebration was short lived when you were crudely shoved to the side.  
  
You quickly held your hands in front of you to help catch you from the fall. Your hands scraped the rough pavement, causing a few small cuts to form. Your head turned upwards towards who it was that roughly pushed you aside. It came as no surprise when you saw Daniel standing there with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. He had his arms wrapped around his girlfriend who was giggly uncontrollably at you.  
  
Your eyes became glossy as tears threatened to fall down your face, but you fought them back. Doing that would only provoke the male even more. So, you unsteadily got up and ran out of there, not bothering to dust yourself off. As you ran away, you could hear Daniel's obnoxious laughter, and it remained stuck in your mind for the remainder of your walk back home.

* * *

_"Finally home..."_ you breathed a sigh of relief as you inserted the key into the slot. You grabbed hold of the doorknob, cringing slightly. The scrapes on your hand still stung like crazy. You slowly and carefully turned the knob and opened the door.  
  
"I'm home," you called out, shutting the door behind you with a kick of your leg. You set your bag down and took off your shoes when a blond man exited the kitchen to greet you at the door.  
  
"Welcome back," he grunted.  
  
Berwald was a Swedish man with light blond hair and greenish blue eyes. He was your older brother. Most people were afraid of him because of his menacing aura, but you knew just how kind and playful he could really be.  
  
"How was school?" he asked.  
  
You smiled at him and lied through your teeth, "It was good."  
  
"Mm," Berwald replied, nodding before turning on his heel and heading back towards the kitchen.  
  
Your smile faded the moment Berwald was out of your line of sight. You gingerly walked upstairs to your room and closed the door behind you. You flopped down on your bed and closed your eyes. The bed was so warm and comforting—you wondered why your life at school couldn't be like your bed.  
  
"Tch," you looked at your hands. It still hurt a lot, and you decided it would be unwise to leave it as it is, so you forced yourself to get up and walk towards the washroom. You fished around for the first aid kit but came up empty.  
  
_"I really don't want to ask Berwald...He'll just worry,"_ you thought glumly as you could think of no other alternative.  
  
So, your feet led you downstairs and to the kitchen. Berwald was preparing snacks for the two of you.  
  
"Um...Berwald?" you asked.  
  
"Hm?" Berwald stopped what he was doing and looked you. Your eyes travelled around the kitchen, avoiding his gaze as you kept on alternatively shifting your weight on each foot.  
  
"Do you know where the first aid kit is?" you asked, hiding your hands behind his back, "...I need it."  
  
"Why?" Berwald asked you. "What happened?"  
  
You bit your lip as you answered, "I fell while walking back home and hurt my hands."  
  
You slowly brought your hands in front of you for Berwald to inspect. You couldn't help but feel your chest tighten. It absolutely tore you apart whenever you lied towards your older brother. Sure, you didn't _technically_ lie to him, but you didn't exactly tell Berwald the full truth either.  
  
Berwald stared intently at your injured hands before bringing his eyes upwards to meet yours. You held your breath as the blond male continued to gaze into your eyes. He knew. He knew that you weren't telling him the full truth, and this had somewhat upset him.  
  
"Tell me," he commanded as you sat down on the chair.  
  
Berwald left the room for a while and then returned with the first aid kit in his hands. He opened it and started to work on your injury, waiting patiently for you to start your explanation.  
  
"...His name's Daniel," you started, finally admitting defeat. "He's been bullying me for about a year now...He's always insulting me and being a total jerk!"  
  
Tears had started to form in your eyes, but you honestly didn't care. It was about time for you to let everything out. "He's always finding new ways to hurt me—whether physical or emotional."  
  
Berwald remained quiet as he continued to wrap the bandages around your hands, but you knew that he was listening intently. This made you feel grateful towards your older sibling. You continued pouring all of your troubles out to Berwald for a good five minutes. At some point, you could no longer hold back the salty tears, and they now cascaded down your reddened cheeks.  
  
"I just..." you choked out your words as you wiped your tears away with your left arm since Berwald had finished treating that hand, but new tears appeared anyways. "I just don't want to deal with this anymore."  
  
The room became silent, save for the ticking of the clock and your occasional sobs. Berwald finished treating your right hand before gently wiping your tears away with his thumbs.  
  
"It's okay," Berwald wrapped you into a comforting embrace, "I promise I'll deal with the guy."  
  
You rested your head upon Berwald's chest and stifled a cry a couple of times. His warmth and steady heart beat soothed you, as well as his stroking of your hair. You felt so warm, comforted, and safe in your brother's arms that your eyelids started to feel heavy. You stifled a yawn before eventually falling fast asleep. Berwald heard your quiet sniffles turn into deep, rhythmic breaths. He softly smiled as he placed a chaste and gentle kiss on the crown of your head before carrying you upstairs to your room, where you could continue your sweet dreams in comfort.

* * *

The next day, you ended up waking up much later than usual. It was probably because you finally told Berwald about your problem, thus making you sleep much deeper than your previous nights.  
  
"I'm off!" you called out to your brother as you exited the house and shutting the door behind you.  
  
You walked to school with hesitant steps. Another day in school meant another day full of bullying from Daniel, and you really weren't looking forward to it.  
  
Surprisingly enough, you managed to make it through most of your morning without any trouble from your bully. Sure, you bumped into him once or twice, but he made no move to bully you either physically or verbally.  
  
This change of behaviour confused you at first, but it wasn't like you were complaining. In fact, you preferred things this way. Now you can go through the day without having to fear on being embarrassed or insulted. It was then that you remembered Berwald's promise to you, and a grateful smile played on your lips. You had no idea as to what it was that Berwald did, but you did know that you would have to thank him later on.


	19. Sweden: Christmas Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff |Both yours and Berwald’s Christmas wish come true.**

Your pen hovered above the blank paper that lay on the desk in front of you. Every now and then, you would place the tip of the pen down on the paper, think for a few seconds, but then bring the pen back up to your cheek as you pondered about what to write. Tino had gone around asking everyone if they could write down their Christmas wishes onto a piece of paper and then give it to him so that he could "give it to Santa" for him to grant, but everyone knew that it was Tino who would go around, giving his all to grant everybody's wishes. That's why people asked for simple things, but you just couldn't think of what to write down.  
  
Eventually, you placed the pen down on the desk and you leaned back in your chair, stretching your arms high above your head. This was taking up much more of your time than you had expected. You decided that it might help you if you got up and did something else, so you stood up from your seat and started rummaging through your house in search of some sort of inspiration. As you aimlessly walked around your house, your eyes landed upon a framed picture of you and your closest friends: Tino, Mathias, Emil, Lukas, and...Berwald.  
  
Your dainty hands carefully picked up the picture, and your lips curved upwards into a small smile. It was a picture that you guys took one Christmas. You were still learning to become comfortable with those five, so you were absolutely surprised to find them urging you to join their picture. The happiness definitely showed in the picture. Eventually you found yourself staring at the young man whom you held feelings for, Berwald.  
  
It's been months since you became close with Tino's group, and you had gotten really close with Berwald; it was only recently that you started to realize your feelings towards the young man, but you were uncertain as to how he felt about you. Did he like you only as a friend? Or did you like you as something more?  
  
_"Oh, I guess I can wish for that..."_ you thought to yourself.  
  
Your legs brought you back to the desk where you abandoned the paper and pen for your Christmas wish. You pulled the chair out for yourself and sat down, picking up the pen and started writing down your Christmas wish to give to Tino.  
  
_"I wish for Berwald to like me."_  
  
After signing your name, you neatly folded up the paper and got ready to get outside. You put on your winter attire and then headed out the door towards Tino's house. He said that he wanted the Christmas wishes as soon as possible. Since you didn't really have anything else to do, and you would be busy with the next few days preparing for the holidays, you decided that now would be the best time to give your Christmas wish to Tino.

* * *

You stood outside the door to your friend's house, and you knocked a few times. Your eyes glanced down towards the neatly folded paper that you held in your gloved hands. You let out a couple of breaths in an attempt to calm your racing heart; you didn't know why you were so nervous. It was just a simple Christmas wish is all. Nevertheless, you were still nervous. Soon enough, the door had opened, snapping you out of your thoughts.  
  
"Tino, hey," you greeted him with a smile, "Here's my Christmas wish that you—er, I mean, that 'Santa' wanted."  
  
You let out a small chuckle at your correction and Tino smiled back at you. He accepted the paper graciously and opened the door a bit more. "Thanks. Would you like to come inside?"  
  
You shook your head, "No, I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going to be busy for the next few days, so I want to get as much rest as I can today."  
  
Tino nodded in understanding, "I see... Well, happy holidays!"  
  
"Happy holidays to you too," you smiled back as you turned on your heel and started heading back home.  
  
Before you could turn to leave, Tino asked you, “You’re coming to the Christmas party, right?”  
  
You nodded and answered, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”  
  
“That’s great,” Tino smiled.  
  
Giving one final smile and wave, you turned on your heel and started heading back home. Tino watched your retreating figure before closing the door behind him. As soon as he closed the door, he looked at the Christmas wish you gave him, and he curiously opened it. His eyes scanned the contents, and his eyes lit up. The young man dashed towards his desk where he kept all of his other Christmas wishes and rummaged around in search for a specific Christmas wish by another person.  
  
"Aha! Found it!" Tino grinned when he found Berwald's. He read Berwald's Christmas wish and compared it with your own.  
  
_"I wish for [Name] to like me."_  
  
Tino chuckled at the two papers and mumbled to himself, "They make this way too easy..."

* * *

The days passed by quickly as everybody prepared for the holidays. Eventually, the day for the Christmas party that Tino came up with and invited everybody came up. You gave yourself one last look in the mirror before you headed out. You wore a simple red dress with black shoes, and a couple of jewellery to help accent the dress. You had styled your hair as you usually do on special occasions, and your thoughts started to go in a tangent.  
  
_“I wonder if Berwald will think I look pretty,”_ you thought. _“I wonder how he would look like...”_  
  
After a few more minutes of one last inspection of yourself in the mirror, you turned and left your house to head towards the Christmas party. When you arrived, many people were already there. The place was absolutely bustling with excitement and chatter. Tino was the one to greet you inside, and he had taken your coat to put away and told you to enjoy yourself. You walked around the place in search for a familiar face that you would be comfortable to talk with. Of course, everybody was a familiar face, but most of the time, they were just acquaintances with you.  
  
"[Name]."  
  
You froze in your spot when you heard the familiar voice call your name. You turned around and were greeted by Berwald. You couldn't help but smile as he walked up towards you with a faint smile on his lips. He looked absolutely handsome in his black suit accentuated with red and golden linings.  
  
"Berwald, hello," you greeted him.  
  
The young man grunted a hello.  
  
"Merry Christmas."  
  
"Merry Christmas to you too."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
Awkward silence filled the space between you two. Berwald wasn't much for words, and you couldn't really find any other topics of conversation. You placed your hands behind your back and slightly rocked back and forth on your heels as you went through your mind for any ideas on what to talk about.  
  
"...You look nice," you heard Berwald mumble.  
  
You looked up at him, a slight blush forming on your cheeks. "Th-thank you. You look quite dashing yourself."  
  
The awkward silence came back, but it didn't last that long as Tino had called everyone to gather around so that he could carry out the Christmas wishes. Most people had wished for simple things like an object that you can buy anywhere or something like spending more time with a significant other.  
  
You remembered your Christmas wish, and you found yourself getting flustered, especially since the person that you included in your Christmas wish was standing right beside you. You and Tino made eye contact, and you held your breath when Tino gave you a friendly wink as though saying "I got his handled" and you returned his expression with a skeptical look.  
  
Soon enough, Tino had finished with the Christmas gifts, and everybody went back to their partying. Both you and Berwald decided to stay together, and Tino walked up to the pair of you.  
  
"Yes?" Berwald asked the young man curiously.  
  
"You guys must be curious about your Christmas wishes since I didn’t address it yet," Tino said.  
  
"Ah, I, uhm..." you trailed off, heat rising to your cheeks as you stole a few glances towards Berwald.  
As you did, you were a bit surprised to see him wish a small blush on his face as well. He merely grunted in response to Tino.  
  
"Well~" Tino continued with his happy and knowing tone, "Here. I want you two to read this; it relates and will help with your Christmas wishes."  
  
Tino handed you a folded piece of paper before turning to the taller man and handing him a piece of paper that looked similar to what you wrote your Christmas wish on, but you paid it no mind. Curious, you glanced at the paper in your hand, but you hesitated on opening it. You looked back at Tino, and he urged you to open the paper. You gave Berwald one last glance before you opened the folded sheet of paper. Your eyes widened with shock when you saw the familiar handwriting of the man you held feelings for.  
  
_"I wish for [Name] to like me."_  
  
It was signed with his name as well. You opened your mouth to say something, but your mouth refused to make any sound. Your head snapped towards Berwald whose eyes never left the paper that was handed to him. You craned your neck to see what was written on it, and to your surprise, it was your Christmas wish that was written on it.  
  
"Ah, th-that is..." you tried to come up with an excuse as to why you would write such a Christmas wish, but then you remembered what Berwald's Christmas wish was, and you stopped talking. "...Oh..."  
  
Berwald folded up the paper and then turned to look at you, a smile on his lips. "...I see. All this time, I thought...I tried to give you hints about my feelings for you, but I guess I was unsuccessful."  
  
"S-Sorry," you apologized with an embarrassed expression on your face, "I didn't realize—"  
  
You were caught off guard when Berwald grabbed hold of your hand and placed a delicate kiss on your knuckles. You let out a small squeak as you blushed furiously.  
  
"I'm glad," Berwald said, "That my wish was able to come true.”  
  
Your eyes widened at the comment, and you bit your lip as you tried to fight back the huge grin that was making its way to your face. In the end, you couldn’t betray your emotions, and you let out a hearty laugh and smiled towards Berwald, wrapping your arms around the tall man. You sighed blissfully being in his arms. You looked up towards his face and felt at peace with his soft expression. He never looked at anyone with that expression before. It was for you and only you.  
  
“Oh, that’s right... I guess I should thank Tino,” you remembered the young man and you pulled away from the hug to thank your friend, but he had already gone to chat with the other partygoers.  
  
“I guess he wanted to give us some time to ourselves,” Berwald said.  
  
You nodded, “Yeah. I can thank him later. I guess for now, I can just appreciate the fact that my wish was granted.”  
  
“Your wish was always true,” Berwald said. “I will love you always and forever.”


	20. Switzerland: Aiming for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fluff/Slice of Life |A dodge ball game leads to new discoveries.**

Dodge ball. It was one of your favourite games you enjoyed playing in gym class. You were really good at dodging; you were decent with catching; but you absolutely _sucked_ at aiming. You were almost always completely off target.  
  
To your surprise, you had found yourself being the very last member standing on your team, but the other team only had one member left as well, so it should be okay, right? Nope, of course not, because the person you were up against was none other than Vash Zwingli.  
  
Vash was well known for many things; one of them being having a _killer_ aim. You mentally cursed your bad luck for being the last person standing. You didn't mind getting hit by anyone in the game, but it's a completely different story when you're the last one on your team. All your team members are shouting and cheering you on while the others are trying to distract you. It was very nerve wrecking and put a lot of pressure on you.  
  
All of the balls have made it to your side, so Vash couldn't hit you. He didn't have any ammunition after all. If you didn't throw any of the balls on your side, then the game would be at a standstill. No one wanted that though—they wanted a clear winner.  
  
You hesitantly picked up a ball and walked over as close as possible to the line that separated the gym for the two teams. You then threw the ball, aiming for Vash's leg, but you missed. Your team members groaned as you scurried to pick up another ball to throw. You missed again. By now, most of your team has lost their faith and patience with you and decided to give up hoping for a victory.  
  
Soon enough, you were out of ammunition. You stood as far back as possible when the blond student picked up a ball and walked calmly over to the divider. Your heart thumped loudly in your chest as Vash aimed the ball at you. The Swiss male, as stated before, had killer aim. He has _never_ missed a target. _Ever_. Your eyes carefully watched the ball, readying yourself on where to go the instance the ball left Vash's hand. Then, just a split second before Vash could throw the ball, somebody from the sidelines had shouted out.  
  
"I can't believe you would hit the girl that you're madly in love with!"  
  
This one sentence had caught Vash completely off guard, but it was too late as the Swiss man was distracted when he threw the ball, causing him to miss. The entire gym grew silent as everyone stared at the blond male in shock. It took a while for everyone to register to his or her mind what had just happened.  
  
 _Vash missed. Vash Zwingli. Missed. His target._  
  
The entire gym suddenly erupted into an uproar. Both you and Vash were completely stunned as everyone around you urged you to finish the game. You snapped out of reverie and tried to grab the ball that had just made it over to your side, but Vash had already obtained a new ball in hand and was aiming for you yet again. He threw it with no hesitation, and the ball was coming straight for you.  
  
Figuring you might as well try, you extended your arms outwards in hopes of catching the ball. The feel of the rubber material in your hands caused you to grin. You had successfully caught the ball.  
  
The teacher blew into the whistle, signaling the end of the game. Most of your team members ran up to you to congratulate you, but the rest rushed to Vash, wondering just what the hell happened when he missed.  
  
"I can't believe it! How did that happen?!" you heard a fellow classmate ask as you walked over to the group.  
  
"Yeah Vash! You never miss! Just what happened when you threw the ball?" somebody else asked.  
  
You heard Antonio, a friend of yours, laugh, "Was it because of what I said? I can't believe it worked!"  
  
You then cut into the conversation, causing everyone to direct his or her attention towards your tired self, "Antonio, that was you that spoke out loud at that time?"  
  
The Spaniard nodded, "Uh-huh~! I thought that distracting this little guy would help our team, so I only spoke my mind of the truth."  
  
"I'm going to go get a drink of water," Vash said, walking out of the group. You could have sworn you saw a slight blush on the blond's face, but you assumed that it was because he worked himself out with the game and was now tired.  
  
Thankfully for you, gym was your last class, so you didn't have to stay that long around everyone's gossip and whispers about Vash's slip up. As you walked through the school to the exit to go home, you could feel a lot of stares from the other students trained on you. This made you self-conscious, causing you to look down at the ground and to walk at a faster pace.  
  
At home, all you could think about was the events during gym class. It really shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but this was Vash you were talking about. _The_ Vash Zwingli with amazing aim that never missed anything. _The_ Vash Zwingli who would never get into a fight as he didn't like choosing sides and preferred to stay neutral. _The_ Vash Zwingli...that you had hopelessly fallen in love with.  
  
You lay down your bed and squeezed your stuffed animal close to your chest. Vash was really popular amongst the females in the school, but he never really gave anyone except his sister much thought. At first, you were just slightly interested in him after hearing all these wonderful things about him, then you became infatuated with him the moment you first laid your eyes on him at gym class, but now...Now you were just head over heels for him. You were really nervous around him the first few days, but you had really started warming up to him later on. You had two classes with Vash's little sister, Lili, and you were good friends with her, so you had an easier time having him open up and talk to you compared with the other females.  
  
Your thoughts went back to Vash's expression the moment Antonio spoke out at the game. He looked so flustered. It was an expression you had never seen him wear, and you thought it looked really cute. You heaved a sigh and turned to your side.  
  
 _"There's no way he'll ever like me back..."_ you thought glumly.

* * *

The next day was a total annoyance to you. It seemed like everyone's topic of discussion was Vash's slip up at gym the previous day. Whenever you saw Vash around the school, you saw him being surrounded and interrogated other male students. The blond looked really close to snapping someone's neck in half after being asked the same question so many times that you felt sorry for him. You wanted to go up to the group and tell them to leave Vash alone, but you were stuck in a similar situation as Vash in which you were surrounded by a lot of your female schoolmates. However, while the males focused on the fact that Vash missed, the females focused more on the reason as to why Vash had missed, and that was because Antonio had yelled something out about him hitting the girl he loved.  
  
"So, are you and Vash a thing?" Elizaveta asked you while you were gathering your belongings at your locker.  
  
That was the umpteenth time in that day that you've been asked the same question, and it really started to tick you off to have to repeat the same answer multiple times over. You slammed your locker super loud, causing some of your friends to jump.  
  
"For the millionth time," you said, taking a few deep breaths to keep yourself calm and composed, "Vash and I are _not_ a couple."  
  
"Aww," Chelles whined. "That's a shame. I totally ship the two of you together."  
  
You let out an amused laugh and shook your head at your friend's response. "You're so weird."  
  
"What? I'm just stating the truth," Elizaveta smiled triumphantly.  
  
You sighed, "Well, that's probably never gonna happen. Anyways, I better go and head off to gym. Bye!"  
  
"Bye~! Have fun!" your friends waved as you turned on your heel and started heading towards the gym. You grew more nervous with each step as you neared the gym; if you followed the pattern of your previous classes, you would be the center of attention, and you didn't want that. You preferred blending in with the rest of the class.  
  
Your suspicions were right, as everyone had turned to look at you the moment you walked through the doors. You gulped and tried to avoid your classmates' gazes. That was when someone had swung their arm over your shoulders. It was none other than Antonio.  
  
"It seems like I caused you a lot of trouble," Antonio said, laughing a bit.  
  
You rolled your eyes and replied sarcastically, "Oh, you think so?"  
  
Antonio gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry. I didn't think it was going to be like this. Sorry for all the trouble..."  
  
You smiled at the Spaniard's apology. "Don't worry about it, but you fricken' owe me. Is that understood?"  
  
"Si!" Antonio answered enthusiastically, finally letting go of you.  
  
"Good," you grinned.  
  
Just then, the teacher had started the class and everyone grew quiet and attentive. The teacher made brief eye contact with you, and you could've sworn he looked apologetic. He probably wasn't expecting all of this trouble and drama from a simple game of dodge ball.  
  
 _"Great,"_ you thought, _"Even the teachers are talking about this. Just great!"_  
  
The teacher cleared his throat and spoke, "So, today, we will be working with partners."  
  
Without any further explanation on what the activity was, the teacher had started assigning partners to everyone. It was a very simple method of assignment. He just assigned the two people who were beside each other as partners. If the teacher followed this pattern, you would've been partners with Antonio, but something caught your eye. Vash had walked up to the two of you and had started talking with Antonio about something with Physics or something, but that wasn't all. Vash had positioned himself so that he was closer to you than Antonio was before. The Spaniard hadn't realized, but you did, causing your curiosity to be piqued. The two males were still talking when the teacher had given you your assignment.  
  
"[Name], Vash will be your partner," he said, glancing towards Vash to see if he had heard. He did and nodded, showing that he understood.  
  
After that, the teacher continued giving the assignments to the remaining students. As soon as the teacher was done, he had made his way to start his explanation of the activity for the day, but he was called out.  
  
Everyone started talking amongst each other the moment the teacher left the group. You looked down at the ground and fidgeted slightly.  
  
"So...We're partners," you said, attempting to start a conversation.  
  
"Yeah," Vash replied.  
  
The two of you became silent, and the atmosphere became awkward. After a while, you decided to look up at Vash, and you were surprised to find him blushing.  
  
"Listen...I, uh...I think I owe you an explanation for what happened yesterday," Vash said. "You're pretty much in the same boat as me, so..."  
  
"You really don't need to," you interrupted the blond, "I'm sure you're tired to having to explain the same thing over and over."  
  
Vash shook his head, "You're right, but I need to explain it to you of all people."  
  
"...Alright then," you replied, sounding slightly uneasy.  
  
"So...you heard what Antonio said when I threw the ball, right?" Vash asked.  
  
You nodded, blushing slightly. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, the thing is, it was so sudden that it caught me off guard," Vash explained.  
  
"That's completely understandable," you replied.  
  
"I'm not done yet," Vash continued. "The truth is...Antonio was right. I couldn't dare hit you."  
  
"What do you...?" you asked not quite understanding before trailing off and starting to piece things together. Indeed, you slowly realized that whenever your class played dodge ball, there wasn't a single time where Vash had aimed to get you out of the game.  
  
"I...I didn't want to hit you, because, well...even if it's just a game, I didn't want to hit you...the girl I liked," Vash confessed.  
  
By now, the class had grown quiet and started eavesdropping on your conversation, but you ignored them. "O-Oh...well, the truth is that I...um..." you struggled with words as you tried to respond to the confession.  
  
Vash smiled, "I know. Lili told me."  
  
"...Oh," you replied lamely. You made a mental note to whine to Lili later on when you saw her, but you couldn't really blame the girl. After all, it wasn't like you had her promise not to tell her brother.  
  
"St-still, I think I should say it out loud to you too. I...I really like you too."  
  
Vash smiled at your confession, which in turn caused heat to rise to your cheeks and return a shy smile. From the corner of your eye, you saw Antonio grinning widely and making a heart shape with his hands and positioned it so that both you and Vash were in the middle of it.  
  
"...I have a question though," said.  
  
"What is it?" Vash asked.  
  
"I saw what you did with Antonio. That was really sly of you to position yourself so that you were closer to me. I thought it was strange how you started a conversation with Antonio considering how the two of you barely talked with each other, and since I thought you would have blamed him for all this drama around the school. Why did you do that?"  
  
Vash smiled sheepishly. "I saw how the teacher was assigning the partners, and I was aiming to be your partner."  
  
"Well, your reputation precedes you. You hit the target."


End file.
